Welcome to Tucker High
by impickingtheusername
Summary: Years after Camp Campbell has been shut down, David starts a new career as a teacher at a local high school. To his surprise, he discovers that his class is filled with past Camp Campbell campers. And while David hasn't changed much, they sure have. Technically a Camp Camp Highschool AU fic but if you think this is just gonna be stereotypical fluff stuff, you're gonna be surprised
1. Welcome to Tucker High, I guess

Tuesday, September 5

I couldn't help but smile as I looked in the mirror. The day I'd spent so many years preparing for was finally here. Today was the first day of school, and my first day as a highschool teacher. I smoothed back my hair and straighten my glasses. My vision was fine with or without glasses, but I liked wearing them. It made me seem more professional somehow. I had put on my nicest button down shirt and khaki pants, determined to make a good first impression. It was still a bit too hot outside to wear the sleeves down all the way, but would it look too goofy to roll them up?

I guess you could say I was a little nervous, but also super excited. After all, I was going to be able to teach the next generation everything I'd learned. Like passing a sacred torch of information. Not to mention getting to meet so many fresh faces. It had been a while since I'd gotten to take care of children. Ever since the incident six years ago…

I took a deep breath, pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind. No, I wasn't going to let that event ruin today.

Turning away from the mirror, I grabbed my leather bag, already packed with books and paper. Still, I double checked that I have everything I needed for the day. When I finally satisfied with everything, I grabbed the bag and slung in on my shoulder. It was much heavier than I was expecting, but nothing I couldn't handle. There was a chance that I was a bit over prepared.

I walked over to a desk where my phone was charging and unplugged it. The screen blinked to life in response. There's no real need for me to have a smartphone because I don't use my phone that much. But the map app was nice and I liked being able to see my parent's face when I talked to them. I didn't really use the phone besides that, though, so I wasn't expecting to see a notification for a missed call this morning, especially not from…

"Gwen?" I said softly. "Why'd she try to call me at 2:00 am?"

I felt bad to admit that I hadn't thought about her much these past few years. Sure, the thought of her would pass my mind every now and then, but I didn't spend a lot of time dwelling on it. We hadn't really kept in touch ever since the camp shut down. It was strange to see that she called me, especially at such a strange time. I shuffled the bag on my shoulder as I starred at the little white box on the bright screen. Looking further up at the time, I bit my lip. I'd have to call her back later, I thought as I turned off the phone and put in the front pocket of the bag.

Making my way to the door, I flipped off the light and stopped. I turned around to take one last look at the small, dark house. I had moved in this summer and tried to fix it up a bit. It still had a couple of leaky faucets and moldy panels, but it was cheap and close to Tucker High School, the school I was going to work at. It wasn't much, but it was mine. However, looking over it with the sun low in the sky, I could almost swear that I saw two shadowy figures in the back of the room. Two figures I knew all too well.

I gripped the doorknob a bit harder as I fought to take my eyes off them. I shut my eyes tight and opened the door, stepping out and shutting it again quickly. Taking a couple deep breaths, I forced a smile onto my face.

Today was going to be a great day.

It only took seven minutes to get to Tucker High, and it wasn't that hard to find the place. Tucker High School was the biggest high school in the town, primarily because it was the only high school in town. There were plenty of helpful signs and busy roads that lead me straight there. It didn't really matter because I had already memorized the drive and had the route pulled up on my phone as backup.

Once I got there, I made my way to the teacher's lounge. I wasn't the first one there, which was kind of a surprise. In fact, there was a short blonde girl who looked like she was a little older than me shuffling papers at the table. I recognized her as the mathematics teacher, Gail Nummer.

"Good morning, Ms. Nummer!" I greeted her with a smile. She looked up from her work for a moment and smiled back when she saw me.

"Oh, good morning, Mr. Crann. Um, You can call me Gail if you like," she said in a quiet, nervous voice that didn't seem fit for a teacher.

"Gail it is then. You can call me David if you like," I said. She simply nodded and gathered her papers.

"Okay, David. I should probably start setting up for class," she said, politely excusing herself from the room. "I'll see you after class."

"Ooh, threatening," another man walked in, ducking as he went through the door frame. "Good luck teaching the most useless subject."

"English isn't much more helpful," Gail pouted before slipping out of the room.

"Hey, I'm not gonna deny it," the man laughed. He had a gruff look to him, with his messy salt and pepper hair and unshaven face. He turned to me and frowned. "Oh, sorry, you are…?"

"David Crann," I said, holding out my hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, David," he said taking my hand and giving it one quick, but strong, shake. "The name's Devin Owens."

"Devin Owens," I repeated. "I'm the new history teacher."

"Oh yeah! I thought I remembered them saying there was a new guy at work. Welcome to the Tucker High, I guess," he shrugged. I smiled even more at the statement.

"Thank you so much! I'm sure I'll love it here!" I said. Devin laughed.

"Oh yeah, you'll fit right in," he said in a strange tone.

"Well, I better get to class. Don't want to be late on the first day!" I straightened my back and gave a short salute.

"I'm sure your students wouldn't mind," Devin said. "Well, good luck."

"You too!" I opened the door to the main hallway and stepped out.

The school seemed so much bigger now that I had a time limit. I pulled out a small piece of paper with a map of the school on it. After looking over it for a moment, I concluded that I needed to get to the classroom that was the third door on the left.

"Alright, let's do this," I said taking a bit step forward before looking up from my map.

That was my mistake as I soon discovered, because I ran straight into someone. We collided and both fell to the ground. Maybe I shouldn't have exited with such excitement. I heard the sound of a backpack fall to the ground and books spill out.

"Oh, sorry, son, didn't mean to-" I stopped when I saw who I had bumped into. Starring at such a familiar face, my mouth fell open as I struggled to remember what I was saying. No way...was it possible?

But there was no denying it. That puffy black hair, tamed only a bit by a pair of bulky black headphones that I didn't recognize. That blue jacket that was so reminiscent of an all-too-familiar blue hoodie. And those striking turquoise eyes.

"Max?" I gasped, dumbstruck. Max's eyes were wide in shock, darting back and forth between my features. This only lasted for a moment, as his open mouth was quickly squeezed shut into a tight frown, eyebrows lowered in a look I knew so well.

I almost felt like I was waiting for Max to cuss me out, to start lashing out just like he did when I was his camp counselor. But instead, he kept that bitter expression as he grabbed his book bag and stood up.

"Don't call me son," he said quietly before turning away from me and sprinting down the hall.

Then he was gone.


	2. Fun Facts

Chapter 2 - "Fun" Facts

Tuesday September 5

The first class I taught was American History. It was a bit easier than World History in my opinion. We knew all about American history, after all, this all happened not too long ago. I could answer any question a student had with confidence. World history was a much broader topic. I didn't know every detail of the history of the entire world, as would be impossible, so I felt like I wasn't prepared to teach it. There were so many mysteries left to decipher, and I was never a big fan of mysteries.

However, since it was the first day of school, I didn't want to start talking about history just yet. I knew I needed to give the students time to transition from their care-free summer life to the structured school life. So, I thought I might as well just take the day to kind of break the ice and help the students feel more comfortable around me. It was a bit selfish to want to be their favorite teacher, but there was no harm in trying, right?

My first class went along just fine. I had them introduce themselves and then had everyone write about their favorite part of history. The students didn't seem very interested in the history of their country, but that was to be expected. Hopefully, I'd be able to show them just how amazing history is over the course of the year. But in order to do that, I would have to be patient.

I dismissed the class, who were eager to be done, and pulled out my schedule to look over it once more. Despite the school being so big, I wasn't teaching every period, so I had a bit of time before my next class. There wasn't much to do between classes, and I didn't really have my own office, so I just made my way back to the teacher's lounge. The hallways were already clear, the next period having already started, so it was easy to find the room.

Once again, there were a couple of other teachers in there already, but they paid no attention to me as I entered the room. The two seemed to be in a heated debate, but talked too quietly for me to hear anything. I sat on the couch and pulled out the papers I had handed out during class - the ones I told them to them to write their favorite story from history on.

I wasn't surprised to see that most of them didn't really understand the assignment. Some wrote about stories they had read or seen on tv. A couple of smart alecs wrote that they didn't have to write anything because they don't have a favorite story from history because history stinks. One caught my attention, though. One girl had covered the entire page and the back, plus another piece of paper that looked like it was torn from a notebook, talking about World War II. She didn't get all of the details completely right, but her dedication to the topic made up for it. She seemed especially interested in Italy for some reason. Still, seeing such a young student with such a passion for history made me smile even more.

After a few hours, I noticed that the period before my class was about to be over. I left the lounge, this time being careful to not bump into anyone. It wasn't really necessary, because there wasn't anyone in the halls, but I felt better watching my step.

Thinking of that, I began to wonder if it really was Max that I ran into. He looked so similar, yet so different. That angry look of his hadn't gone away, but something about it was different. I guess he was just older now. It felt weird to imagine as those kids I used to watch were teenages now. Teenagers that could possibly end up in one of my classes.

I couldn't really decide if that was a pleasant thought or an upsetting thought.

I found the empty classroom and began to set up for class. No sooner had I turned on the light and set down my bag, two students walked in. One was a rather tall, pale boy with red hair similar to mine and the other was shorter with darker skin and blue eyes. They looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't really remember where I'd seen them.

They talked with each other as they absent mindedly walked to a couple of desks in the middle of the room. They didn't pay me any attention as they slung their backpacks to the ground and took their seats. It was only when they looked up at my face that they stopped talking. The redhead smiled when he saw me, but there was something off about that smile. It wasn't very….friendly.

"Ah, so we meet again, David," he said in a menacing tone. Seeing that look on his face made me realize that I did know him, but I barely recognized him with his face not covered in zits.

"Edward? It's so nice to see you again!" I responded with my signature smile. I guess the guy next to him was Billy. After a moment, I added. "And it's Mr. David now. I guess I'll be teaching you!"

Edward opened his mouth to make some snide remark, but Billy reached up and grabbed his arm. Billy shook his head shortly and Edward sighed.

"I suppose so," Edward finally said. He turned to sit down, pulling his arm out of Billy's grip. Just then, three more kids arrived. The two boys in front were a little shorter than the one in the back, who seemed to be focusing all his attention on his phone. But that wasn't the first thing I noticed.

Really? Does everyone from camp go to school here?

I could have spotted Dolph out of crowd anywhere, with those piercing blue eyes and military cut hair. Even more unsettling, he seemed to have grown in resemblance to a certain historical figure I knew all too well. The boy next time him was a little harder to recognize, but as soon as I pictured him wearing a helmet it all became clear. This was definitely Space Kid - oh no, what was his real name again? And behind those two, as tall as ever, was Preston Goodplay. His hair was cut a bit shorter than it was at camp, and of course he had dropped the costume, but otherwise he looked oddly the same. Space Kid was talking with Dolph and took a moment to look up at the front on the class. I saw his eyebrow raise at the sight of me before he grabbed Preston's arm and whisper something to the two of them. Preston and Dolph both looked up at me as well and both smiled.

"David! Can it really be be you?" Preston said in a sing-song voice. I couldn't help but smile at the sound.

"Why it sure it! It's so good to see you kids again!" I said. From behind them, I saw two more kids enter. I recognized the cool vibe coming off one of them as Ered. The girl next to her with blue hair looked vaguely familiar too. If I did know her, it wasn't from Camp Campbell.

"It's so great to see you too, Mr. David," Dolph said, his german accent still prevalent. Space Kid nodded in agreement and the three took their seats at the front of the room. I saw Ered and the blue-haired girl sit in the back.

Another two girls came in, one a tall girl with pink hair and the other a blonde with an eyepatch. Oh…..oh no.

The two girls were catching loudly, but as soon they saw the blue-haired girl, they both stopped and folded their arms.

"Sasha," the pink-haired girl - I think her name was Erin - said in a flat tone,

"Erin, Tabii," Sasha replied, barely looking up. Tabii stuck her nose up and followed Erin to the seats furthest away from Sasha.

It suddenly occurred to me how small the classroom was. Almost all the seats were already taken. I looked up at the analog clock above the door. It took me a bit to decipher it - I was never good at reading time - but I figured there was only a few more minutes before class started. There was a bit of noise in the room from the student's idle chat, but I mostly tuned it out. It was strange, when there was noise I didn't notice it, but I felt my ears ring when all at once the chatting stopped. I looked down from the clock at the open door and there he was, just standing in the doorway with an annoying look on his face.

Max was in my class.

Everyone just stared at him as he walked in. I felt kinda bad about it, even though I didn't understand why everyone stopped talking when he showed up. Looking away from him, I saw a head of bright, turquoise hair peeking out from behind. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but it was still as tangled as uncontrollable as I remembered. The ponytail bounced up and down as she walked with a little skip in her step. She was talking quite loudly, contrasting the silence of everyone else.

"But - plot twist! The murderer was him all along. But then - DOUBLE PLOT TWIST - the murderer was actually the ex-girlfriend. Now, you may be thinking: how can it be both of them? Well, you see-" Nikki was saying, but stopped mid sentence when she saw me. Max stopped walking as well and looked first back at Nikki but then followed her gaze to me. I saw his eyebrows lower a bit. Nikki, however, grinned at me. "David?"

"Hey, kiddos! Long time no see!" I greeted them.

"No kidding! Holy crap! Can you believe it Max?" Nikki elbowed Max. It looked like she jabbed him pretty hard, but Max's expression only changed from one of great annoyance to one of indifference. Nikki's smile dropped a moment, but only a moment, then it was a full grin once more. The chatter in the room had started up a bit more now. "Wow, so - wait you're a teacher now?"

"Yup. I looks like I'll be teaching you all World History!" I said. Nikki stuck out her tongue.

"Bleh, couldn't you have picked a more interesting subject?" Nikki said and then laughed.

"Actually, it's really amazing if you pay attention - and I hope you will be paying attention," I defended. Max started to walk away again.

"Okay, if you insist," Nikki said as she hesitantly followed Max who took a seat in back corner of the room.

I looked back at the clock. I should be starting class soon, but there were still a couple of empty seats. Opening my bag, I pulled out a sheet with the names of all my students on them. Maybe I should have given this list a closer look before class started. I recognized almost every name on the list. I was still missing two students it looked like. One of them was Nerris, another past camper of mine. There must be some simple explanation here that I wasn't seeing.

The bell rang, signalling the beginning of class. Setting down the sheet, I moved to shut the door. Just then, two girls came flying in. One I recognized as Nerris, though she looked very different without elf ears and glasses. The other was a shorter girl with black hair and pale skin. Her greenish blue eyes reminded me of someone, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Hey! Sorry we're late!" the pale girl said with a bright smile that didn't match her dark clothes. The two girls snickered as they took two seats in the middle row. I shut the door behind them.

"Alright, everyone, I guess it's time get to started!" I started as I walked back over to the desk i the front of the room. The chatter quieted down and everyone took their seats. "I'd like to start off by just saying 'hello'! My name is David Crann but you can call me Mr. David."

Looking over the class, I felt another wave of uneasiness at the number of familiar faces. Really, there had to be a simple explanation, right?

"I suppose most of you already knew that though," I admitted. I heard of couple of quiet snickers and whispers. "I'll be your World History teacher this year. I know you all already took American History, but this class will be a little different. World History is a lot more complication and a lot more interesting, so I hope you pay close attention. You might be surprised at how similar some of these stories are to something you'd pay to see at a theatre.

"But enough about history, it's the first day of school, who wants to talk about actual school? The first thing we need to do is take role, but I like to make it a little more interesting. Why don't we try to get to know each other a little bit more? When I call your name, I want you tell the class a fun fact about yourself. It can be anything really. Just have fun, okay?"

A couple of students nodded. Though, I saw that I had already completely lost the attention of some others. I turned my attention back down at the list of names and cleared my throat.

"Billy?" I called out. This was one of the woodscouts if I remembered correctly. I looked over to where the two woodscouts sat and saw the shorter one raise his hand.

"Present," he said in a gruff voice and put his hand down.

"And do you have a fun fact you can tell us?" I kindly reminded with the sweetest smile I could muster. He pursed his lips and then shrugged.

"I've been to Disneyland twenty three times," he said in the same monotone voice.

"Twenty three?" the pale girl who sat next to Nerris exclaimed. "I haven't even been once."

Billy shrugged. "My uncle works there. He doesn't have any kids so he likes to spoil us."

"Wow, that's really interesting. Thank you for sharing with us Billy!" I said and looked back at my list. "Let's see, Delilah?"

"Yo," the pale girl who just spoke raised her hand half heartedly. "Let's see...fun fact?" She put her finger to her chin in a dramatic thinking pose. Then, she smirked. "I eat people."

"Lila!" Nerris laughed. "Come on!"

"Okay, okay," Delilah giggled. "Let me think...Oh, I know. I can speak Latin."

"Really? Like fluently?" I asked.

"Dah," she replied. The class seemed excited at that. Nerris, however, rolled her eyes.

"That was Russian," Nerris said. Delilah laughed.

"Ah, Ner-ner, you know me too well. Yeah, that was Russian, but I do actually speak Latin."

"I must say, I'm impressed. Thank you, Delilah," I said. Delilah gave a short salute. I read the next name on the list. "Dolph?"

"Here!" he said, but with his accent it made it sound dangerously close to "heil". "A fun fact about me is that I love the song 'when you wish upon a star'. I'm actually quite good at whistling it. Listen!"

Dolph began to whistle the song, and he was pretty good. Though, it sounded a bit eerie somehow.

"That's lovely, Dolph," I said, cutting him off and quickly finding the next name on the list. "Edward?"

"Here," Edward, the taller woodscout, said. "I need twelve hours of sleep each night, or I get really sick."

"Twelve hours?" I repeated. "Really?"

"Yeah, I have to go to bed no later than 7:00," Edward said.

"That's...interesting," I said, struggling to find a compliment. "Alright, Ered?"

"Present," Ered answered in a cool tone. "I have five piercings."

"Is that allowed?" I asked. Ered shrugged.

"Not at school, that's why I'm not wearing them, but it's totally legal if you have cool parents like me," Ered said. I saw a couple of people glance at Max, who didn't seem to be paying attention at all.

"That seems fun," I said. "Let's see, Erin?"

"Present," Erin said, sitting right next to Ered. "I have never broken a bone."

"Oh boy, I wish I could say the same," I laughed. Nikki nodded vigorously. I looked down at the list and smiled. "Max?"

I looked up, expecting to see Max raise his hand or have some sort of reaction to me calling his name. But instead, I just saw him sitting there, headphones over his ears, pencil in hand repeating the same circular motion over and over again. Nikki let out a frustrated breath and kicked his desk, making Max drop the pencil. A couple of kids snickered and they all began to whisper again.

"Hm?" Max finally looked up. Nikki said something too quietly for me to hear and Max frowned. "Oh, present."

"Barely," I sighed. "You're not allowed to wear headphones in class, you know."

Max pulled off the headphones without any further talk and picked up his pencil to start drawing circles again.

"You have to say a fun fact about yourself too," Nikki said, kicking his desk again. Max didn't look up from the paper. Instead, he set down the pencil and let out a low grumble. The whispers got louder.

"Hi, I'm Max," Max looked up quickly and spoke in a pseudo-excited tone that sounded more like the angry boy I knew. "And I didn't kill my parents."

I nearly laughed at the "fun fact", thinking it was just a joke, but was overcome by a feeling like a heavy weight as the whole room fell silent. Max grabbed his pencil pointedly and put his head back down.

The other students looked away from Max quickly, eager to pretend like he didn't exist. All eyes - or almost all - were on me again. Taking a short breath, I looked back at the list. My eyes widened when I saw the next name. This was the last name I wanted to read, especially after whatever just happened. I tried my best to relax my shoulders and cleared my throat.

"Neil?" I read. The name seemed to echo around the room. I saw several students tense up at the name. One simply raised his hand.

"Here!" Space Kid said with a smile. I let out a breath. I had completely forget that was his name was also Neil. "Ooh, a fun fact about me is that I was named after my great grandad, Neil Armstrong! He was the-"

"First person to walk on the moon, we all already know this, Neil," Delilah groaned. She seemed completely oblivious to the discomfort of her fellow classmates.

"It's still amazing, though," I said, already slipping back into my normal upbeat tone. "Nerris?"

"Present," Nerris said. "I have all the editions of dungeons and dragons even though I don't play."

"Anymore," Delilah added. I felt my heart sink a little bit at that. Nerris the little elf didn't even play dungeons and dragons anymore? These kids had changed too much.

"What made you stop?" I asked.

"I don't know, it just got kind of boring. I think I played it a little too much as a kid," Nerris said.

"No kidding," Preston scoffed. Nerris blushed a little and seemed to shrink down in her seat a bit. Delilah glared at Preston, who ignored them both. I just look back at the list.

"Nikki?" I read.

"Here!" Nikki raised her hand. "And unlike Erin, I've broken all my bones except for seven."

"...is that actually possible?" I asked.

"Apparently," Nikki shrugged. "I like to live dangerously."

"Apparently," I agreed. "Preston?"

"Present!" Preston said in a loud voice that could only come from a theatre kid. He sat up straight as he talked in a confident tone. "I have starred in EVERY play this school as put on for the past two years I've been here and I plan to star in the next two as well."

"Well, good luck with that! Break a leg, right?" I said. "Sasha?"

"Here," Sasha yawned. "Uh, I...have a black belt?"

"Wow, I would have never guessed. I have a black belt too, you know!" I gushed. Sasha raised an eyebrow.

"Cool," she said. "I would have never guessed."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I said. "Tabii?"

"Present," Tabii sang. "I have one eye."

"We can see that," Sasha rolled her eyes.

"Again, I'm really sorry about that," I apologized.

"Nah, it's like totally fine. I look super awesome. Besides, like who needs depth perception?" Tabii said.

"Still, I feel just awful about it," I admitted. Delilah cleared her throat and we all looked at her.

"I'm sorry," she said with a smug look. "Do you two know each other?"

I looked back at Tabii, but saw that everyone was looking at me again. Even Max glanced up from his drawing. I laughed nervously.

"It's actually really funny. I used to be a camp counselor at a camp that a lot of the students here went to," I said.

"Not me," Edward announced. "Billy and I went to a proper camp."

"A 'proper camp' that was just across the river from ours," Preston noted.

"Yeah, and I actually went to camp with Tabbi and Erin in the same area," Sasha said.

"It really is uncanny that we're all back together in one classroom," Dolph giggled.

"Well, almost all of us," Nikki said quietly.

"Yeah! All we're missing is Harrison and Nurf!" Space Kid exclaimed.

"Isn't Nurf, like, in prison?" Erin said.

"Technically, it's just juvy," Billy corrected. I frowned. So after all out efforts, he still ended up in trouble. I hoped he was okay.

"And Harrison's a big shot magician now," Ered said.

"Oh yeah, I saw him on TV the other day! I don't know how he does all those cool tricks!" Tabii said.

"Okay, I always hated the guy, but I think he really is magical," Nerris said.

"Wait, you went to the camp too, Ner?" Delilah gasped.

"Yeah, remember?" Nerris said. "I'm pretty sure I told you about it."

"I'm so jealous. My mom never let us go to camp. She said it was 'dangerous'. Told us horror stories about kids dying at camp. Seriously, she was mental," Delilah said. The students fell silent once more. Well, almost all of them.

"Oh yeah, who ever heard of a kid dying at camp?" Edward taunted. Clearly, his hatred of Camp Campbell had not faded.

"Well, that's all in the past, right? We should focus on today. And today, we're in history class," I said, trying to reign in the class again.

I handed out the papers I had given the last class with the same task of writing down their favorite story from history. Hopefully it would go a little better since these kids have already had American History. The students got to work, writing stuff down and chatting. Normally I wouldn't be so keen on letting them talk while they were supposed to be working, but since it was the first day and the assignment wasn't that important, I let it slid. Besides, it was nice seeing them all smile and laugh, the events of Camp Campbell already gone from their minds.

Max seemed to actually be doing the work, which was a relief. Nikki was talking a lot, I assume to Max, but it kinda just looked like she was talking to thin air. She didn't seem to mind Max not paying attention, though. I guess she was used to it.

Preston, Dolph, and Space Kid - er, Neil - seemed to be getting along. I would have never guessed the three of them would have ended up being friends. But Dolph and Neil seemed happy listening to Preston's dramatic stories and Preston certainly enjoyed the attention. Ered and Sasha were a good match too, both equally chill and unbothered. I didn't know much about Delilah, but I felt like I could trust her since she was clearly good friends with Nerris. Delilah really was the odd one out here, so I made a mental note to make sure she never left out.

I let them work on the assignment for the rest of class, taking up the paper right before the bell rang. Once it did, the students were out of the class faster than I could say goodbye. I didn't really blame them. Even I hated school as a kid.

I straightened out the desks and made sure no one had left anything. After I was certain that the classroom was clean, I went to put away the papers. Opening my bag, I noticed that the papers from the last class were gone. I mentally retraced my steps and remembered looking through them in the teacher's lounge. I must have left them in there.

It only took me a minute to walk back to the teacher's lounge. As usual there were a couple of people already in there. They were sitting on the couch having a quiet conversation. One of them was Gail Nummer, the math teacher I briefly spoke with this morning. Her thin half-ponytail was falling apart after being kept in place all day. I didn't recognize the other woman who was talking to her, though. She was a well-dressed woman with skin that matched the color of the coffee in the styrofoam cup she was holding.

Gail looked over when I came in and smiled at me. "Good afternoon, David," she greeted me.

"Good afternoon," I responded. The woman next to Gail stood up and took a step closer to me.

"Hey, I'm Emerald Wallace," she introduced herself, holding out her hand. "You're the new history teacher, right?"

"Yeah, David Crann, it's nice to meet you, Emerald." I shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you too," Emerald said. "I teach the AP history courses, so we're kind of in the same boat."

"I guess so," I laughed.

"So how was your first day?" Gail asked.

"It was great! How about you two?" I said. Gail shrugged.

"It was good," she nodded.

"It could have gone better for me," Emerald sighed. "AP courses used to mean you'd get the kids that actually want to learn. Now it's just the kids that have parents that think they're smart."

"Well, hopefully they'll learn something. I don't think any of my students are going to put in the effort to actually understand what I'm trying to teach," Gail complained in a longing tone.

"You'll just have to convince them to try," I said. "That what I'm hoping to do."

Thinking back to class, I was sure I could get them interested in history. After all, I knew all of them and I knew how to get them to pay attention. Well, all except one. Nothing I did ever seemed to get through to Max. And now he seemed even more cut off from reality.

"Good luck with that," Emerald laughed.

"Hey, do either of you know a kid named Max?" I asked.

"Max?" Gail repeated. "Hm, black hair? Blue eyes? Always wearing headphones?"

"That's the one," I said.

"Oh, yeah, that kid," Emerald groaned. "I had him once back when I had to teach American History. I swear, if I had to tell that kid to take off his headphones one more time."

"Can't help but feel bad for him, though," Gail shook her head.

"Yeah, he is a bit of an outcast," Emerald agreed.

"Really? Why?" I asked.

"Well, the other kids are kind of afraid of him. I can hardly blame them. Certainly, you've seen that cold stare of his," Gail explained.

"And besides, they all think he's a murderer," Emerald added.

"What?" I frowned. "He said something about not killing his parents in class but I thought he was joking."

"I'm surprised he talked at all," Emerald said. "But yeah, from what I heard, the kid ran away one day and when he was gone his house caught on fire. Both of his parents were inside and couldn't get out in time. The police officially ruled it an accident, but that doesn't keep the other kids from spreading around the story that Max set it himself."

"That's just awful," I said. "Poor Max."

"It was awful. But sometimes, I can't help but wonder if he really did set the fire himself," Gail admitted quietly.

"No, of course he didn't!" I said a bit too quickly.

"Yeah, of course not," Emerald nodded. "I mean, I don't really know the kid, but I trust the police investigated it thoroughly."

"Yes, I'm sure," Gail said, her cheeks a bit red.

"Anyways, I just came by to grab these," I said with a smile as I picked up a folder with all the papers from the first class, which was right where I left them.

"Oh, okay. We'll see you tomorrow then?" Gail said.

"Yeah," I said, tucking the folder into my bag. "Goodbye!"

"Bye," Emerald said. Gail waved as well.

Then, I was out the door and on my way to my car.

My evening was pretty uneventful. I changed into something a little more comfortable and cooked some pasta. I didn't have a proper table, since my last apartment had one that came with the room, so I sat down on the sofa to eat.

I couldn't stop thinking about what Emerald and Gail said about Max. There was no way that Max would ever kill anymore, that's not what bothered me. It just seemed unfair for Max to loose his parents after he already lost so much. Even if his parents were awful people, I couldn't help but feel it would be better for them to be alive. The trauma of losing your parents is an awful thing for a child.

At least Max still had Nikki. From what I could see, she was a good friend. Hopefully her free spirit would bring some joy to his life. Just seeing them talking together made me happy. I trusted Nikki to help Max, in fact, I couldn't think of a better person to help him.

I don't remember falling asleep, but I remember waking up. My phone dinged at exactly 10:00 pm. The noise startled me, making me open my eyes quickly. The sofa felt warm, but I sat up and grabbed my phone, wondering why it made such a loud noise.

The room was dark and the screen was bright, so it took my eyes a bit of time to adjust. The blurry light slowly turned into my phone background with the time shining at the top and a notification below it. It was a text from the headmaster. I yawned and opened the message.

I scanned over the message but stopped midway. No, that couldn't be right, I thought. I started reading it again, this time reading every word very carefully. My hands began to shake as I finished the message.

There had to be some sort of mistake. Or maybe I was still dreaming. I read the message again, but I wasn't just misinterpreting it. I clamped my hand over my mouth as tears ran down my cheeks.

I looked away from the phone, behind me at the dark corner of the room. Sure enough, those two shadows that I knew all too well had become three shadows. I couldn't see their faces, but I knew who they were.

I dropped the phone on the ground, but the words sting rung in my head.

"Faculty of Tucker High School, we regret to inform you that Nikki Evans

"Is dead."


	3. Good People

Wednesday, September 6

I had a hard time getting out of bed the morning after Nikki died. I had woken up several times during the night from horrifying nightmares that I couldn't remember after opening my eyes. When my alarm finally went off, I just stared across the room, letting the noise fill the air. Thinking….always thinking…

Nikki didn't just die. She was murdered. Someone had reported a suspicious figure sneaking into a building around 8:30 last night. When the police arrived, the figure had already fled the scene, but not before lighting the building on fire. They were able to put out the fire before it got out of hand, but Nikki was already dead. She was killed before the fire was even set.

I didn't understand why this was happening. Why would someone kill Nikki? Who on earth would do such a thing? Was it just some blood-thirsty psychopath? Or did someone hate Nikki enough to actually kill her?

There were too many questions. Too many mysteries. Too many thoughts. I've never liked mysteries, but now more than ever I wished I just knew the answer.

Eventually, I pull myself out of bed and turned off the alarm, my ears ringing from the noise. I walked through the motions of the morning in a daze. Brush your teeth, take a shower, put on clean clothes, grab some toast, I did everything like it was a normal day. I didn't look at behind me, but I knew those three shadows watched my every movement. A constant, burdening reminder that it was not a normal day.

I grabbed my phone on the way out the door. There were no new notifications, but when I unlocked the phone, I noticed that I had some unread messages. I went to bed without checking to see if I had any other messages last night, so I wasn't that surprised to see that I had a text from last night. It was from a number my phone didn't recognize, but I knew who it was after reading the message.

"Hello, David. This is Gail Nummer from school. I just wanted to apologize about what I said earlier. It wasn't right of me to make assumptions and it seemed to really bother you. I don't know what your relationship with Max is, but from what I've seen he's an excellent young man. I should have never suggested otherwise. I'm sorry."

I bit my lip as my fingers floated over the screen, searching for the perfect words to respond with. I didn't really know what to say other than "It's fine, no worries". I wasn't well versed in texting etiquette, but such a short response felt rude somehow.

Glancing at the top of the screen, I noticed that it was a lot later than I thought. In fact, if I didn't leave right now, I was going to be late.

I'd have to text Gail back later, I thought as I shoved my phone into my bag. Maybe I'd see her today at school. Then we could talk in person.

I slung the bag over my shoulder and ran out the door, not daring to look back.

I managed to slip into the classroom before the bell rang. It was evident from the student's facial expressions that some of them were disappointed that I had showed up, hoping for a moment that they wouldn't have to have class today.

Fortunately, I was used to keeping a smile while trudging through tough situations. The kids in my American History class seemed unbothered by the death of their fellow student. Perhaps they didn't know about it. Maybe they did and just weren't that interested in talking about it. A murder like this was bound to be on the news by now - unless someone was trying to keep a tight lid on the case. I doubted that anyone would be able to keep the press away from this story, though. Especially in a town like this, where barely anything happens.

The students may not have been shaken up by the event, but I sure was. Hopefully they didn't notice my smile falter every now and then. I had to keep smiling, though, for their sake. If an adult couldn't stay mentally stable at a time like this, how were they expected to?

By the time the bell rang again, I was completely on autopilot. Looking back, I couldn't tell you a single thing that happened. Of course, I know I was talking about American History but besides that, it was all just a blur.

I straightened out the desks a bit before I left the classroom. It was about time to eat, so I searched through my bag for my lunch as I walked through the hall. I normally prepared a sandwich beforehand and stuck in a cooled container that was in the front pocket of my bag. But today, when I opened the front pocket, the container was gone. It didn't take long for me to realize that in my rush out the door, I had completely forgotten to prepare lunch.

That left me with two options: eat at the cafeteria or eat out somewhere. Pulling out the schedule again, I confirmed that I had plenty of time before my next class to go pretty much anywhere to eat. It was just annoying, since I only budgeted a little money to spend on going out. Oh well, I had a little wiggle room in my budget for circumstances like this.

I put away the schedule and began walking a little faster, now having an actual destination, when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Hey, David, wait up!" a familiar voice called from behind me. I stopped to turn around and saw Devin, the english teacher I spoke with yesterday.

"Oh, good morning, Devin!" I greeted him. I noticed a couple of guys walking slowly behind him.

"Davey, my man, what're you up to?" Devin said, catching up to me. Something about him seemed a bit off.

"I was just about to head off to lunch, how about you?" I asked, ignoring the fact that he just called me "Davey" even though this is only the second time we've spoken. The guys behind him circled around to be beside him. One of them was rather tall with tan skin and sun-bleached hair that was more suited for a surfer than a teacher. His light brown eyes were filled with life and hope, unlike the other man whose grey eyes looked like they had seen the worse of the world. This man had messy black hair, like that kind you'd get from not brushing your hair after waking up. But judging from those dark circles, he hadn't slept in awhile. The blond gave me a warm smile, which I returned. The other was kinda unresponsive and barely acknowledged me at all.

"Sweet, we were just about to do that too!" Devin said. The smiling man gave Devin a nudge. "Oh yeah, these are my buds, Lucas and Doug. Luca, Douggo, this is Davey."

"Lucas Wissenschaft, it's nice to meet you David," Lucas, the smiling one said, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Lucas," I said, shaking his hand. I held my hand out to Doug. "And you too, Doug."

"Pleasure's all mine," he said in a surprisingly kind voice and shook my hand. His hand was cold, like he was as dead on the outside as he was on the inside.

"Be careful with Luca here," Devin said, slinging his arm around Lucas' neck. "Take your eyes off him for one second and he steals your wallet

"I think you're getting me confused with yourself," Lucas laughed, slipping out from under Devin's arm. Devin stumbled a bit as he shifted his weight to stand on his own.

"Maybe you should drive Dev there," Doug suggested quietly.

"Where are y'all going to eat?" I asked absent-mindedly.

"Oh, there's this little place called McCanner's that's a few minutes down the road. We always eat there on Tuesdays. Want to join us?" Doug offered. I was about to decline, as I was used to doing with offers like this, but then again I was on my way to eat out as well. I didn't see any harm in joining them.

"I'd love to! Thanks for the offer," I said.

"Hey, the more the merrier, right?" Doug said then turned back to Luas and Devin. "That cool with you?"

"I don't see why not," Lucas shrugged.

"Of course Davey can eat with us!" Devin said.

"Wow, it has been a while since anyone's called me that," I said quietly to myself. The other guys didn't seem to hear me.

"Let's not just stand around and talk about it, though! I'm hungry! Let's go!" Devin exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air before making his way down the hall. Lucas smirked and followed him to the car with me and Doug close behind.

It only took us a few minutes to get to the place, just like Doug said. Lucas drove Devin. Doug and I each took our own cars and just followed. The restaurant wasn't too busy and not too empty. It was one of those places where you ordered and then took your seat and the waiter would bring you the food. It didn't matter much, though, because the three made a beeline to the bar as soon as we entered. I followed them and took a seat at the end. The menu was on the wall above us. I looked it over and was disappointed to see they mostly served sandwiches. I hadn't realized how sick I was of sandwiches until I thought I had the chance to eat something else.

Lucas and Doug casually ordered, probably getting the same food they do every week. Devin took a bit more time to look at the menu before deciding on ordering a strange sandwich that had every dressing in the restaurant on it. He also ordered a beer, which Lucas and Doug raised an eyebrow at.

"Don't you have more classes to teach today?" I asked.

"It doesn't hurt to be a little tipsy while you teach," he shrugged.

"I think you're already a little tipsy, Dev," Doug noted.

I ordered the soup of the day, which was some sort of squash soup I've never heard of before. It looked good, and plus it was reasonably cheap.

"So, I know that Devin teaches English. What do you two teach?" I asked.

"I teach Biology and Chemistry. Kinda the science guy around here," Doug answered. "And Lucas teaches-"

"Algebra and sometimes Trig," Lucas interrupted. "You know, the fun maths."

"There's no such thing as fun math," Devin said, his expression turning sour. "Those two words shouldn't even be used in the same sentence."

"What do you teach, again? Literature?" Lucas asked, ignoring Devin.

"History, actually," I said.

"Oh right, because Johnny finally retired," Doug recalled.

"Was he the last history teacher?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think he ever taught anyone anything. The dude was ancient!" Devin laughed.

"At least you don't have much to try to live up to," Lucas chimed in.

We talked for a little bit more and were eventually brought our food. I took a careful sip of the soup, and was amazing to find that it tasted even better than it looked. I was beginning to understand why these guys went here every week.

Lucas inhaled his sandwich. I was surprised that he didn't break a some sort of record as I watched him chow down on the thing. Contrastly, Doug picked at his sandwich, as if he didn't really want to eat it at all.

Devin touched his food even less than Doug, ignoring the sandwich completely and going straight for the beer. He downed the bottle in a couple of minutes and ordered another one. I saw Lucas and Doug give each other uneasy glances.

"Hey, buddy, maybe you want to slow down a bit?" Lucas said.

"I'll be fine!" Devin announced. "I'm no lightweight."

"I don't doubt that, but it is only 12:30," Doug noted, tearing a piece off his sandwich and eating it.

"It's five o'clock somewhere," Devin said in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, but it's 12:30 here," Doug said quieter, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Come on, Dev, last beer," Lucas nudged Devin. "For the kids?"

Devin growled, "Fine, for the kids."

With that, Devin slumped over and hit the ground with an unsettling thunk. I stood up quickly, not quick enough to catch him though. Lucas did the same. He and Doug kneeled down and slung Dev's arms over their shoulders and lifted him up.

"You okay there?" Doug asked. Devin slowly opened his eyes and took a breath. I let out a sigh.

"You gotta stop doing this," Lucas said.

"He does this often?" I asked.

"Well, not often per say. He's just prone to passing out when drunk," Doug explained.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I doubt he's gonna be teaching this afternoon," Lucas said as they helped Devin into a sitting position.

"I'll take him home," Doug offered.

"But his class-" Lucas interjected.

"I can just teach it," Doug shrugged.

"I thought you were the science guy," I said.

"Yeah, but I double majored in journalism. Besides, it's just one class," Doug said.

"Well, if you're going to cover his class, I'll drive him home," Lucas decided.

"No, it's good, I got it," Doug declined.

"Come on, dude, let me handle this one. Besides, I'm already done eating," Lucas insisted. He leaned down the pick up Devin again. "You ready to go, Dev?"

Devin muttered something in response, but I couldn't understand it. Lucas nodded and helped him stand up.

"I'll see you later," Lucas said.

"See you later," Doug waved them goodbye and Lucas helped Devin out the door. Doug took his seat at the bar again and I followed suit.

"Is he really going to be okay?" I asked once they had left.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Lucas will take care of him," Doug reassured me. "Sorry about all this, I swear this isn't normally what Tuesday lunch is like."

"I should hope not. And it's completely fine," I said.

"Devin isn't normally like this either. I know it may seem like it, but he isn't an alcoholic or anything," Doug said.

"Is something going on with Devin?" I asked. Doug picked out his sandwich more, pulling off another chunk and looking at it.

"...You got the news last night, right? About the murder of a student?" he asked. I took a short breath and nodded. Doug didn't seem to notice my extreme reaction. "Devin was really close with the girl, um…"

"Nikki," I said.

"Yeah, Nikki," Doug nodded. "I don't know all the details, but I think Dev was an old friend of her mom's. He really wanted that girl to go to school here, and was so happy when she did. He's really torn up about about her death. I've never seen him like this."

"Wow, I had no idea," I said.

"Yeah, I mean, I knew that Dev knew Nikki, but I didn't realize how much she meant to her until now," Doug said. He looked at the piece of sandwich that he had pulled off for a moment, before eating it and hanging his head to stare at the ground. I looked back at my soup which was getting cold.

So Devin knew Nikki. It hadn't occurred to me that other people would be as bothered by her death as I was, which seemed a bit silly to think in retrospect. Of course there were people who cared about Nikki. She was a sweet girl with a kind heart - like a bright ray of sunshine.

"It just seems so unfair," I accidentally said aloud.

"Hm?" Doug looked up at me. I took in a breath and tried to collect my thoughts a bit.

"Nikki...Nikki was just a kid. She didn't deserve…" I began, but couldn't find the right words.

"To die?" Doug finished. I looked at him and gave a sad smile. Doug just sighed. "You know what they saw, bad things happen to good people."

My smile dropped again. "Good people…" I echoed quietly. Doug looked me over and pursed his lips.

"Did you know Nikki?" he asked. I felt my muscles tense a bit. Of course I knew Nikki. But after what happened at Camp Campbell, I didn't want anyone to know I had any connection to that event. I could lose my job if that got out. But I couldn't just lie.

"I guess. She was in a my class," I finally said.

"So you just met her yesterday?" Doug asked.

"Kinda," I bit the inside of my mouth, hoping he wouldn't press further.

"Kinda?" he repeated. I opened my mouth to say something, but shut it again. He must have picked up on my hesitation. "Sorry, just listening to you talk I thought you really knew her or something."

"I...um, knew her when she was really little, but not for a long time," I admitted.

"Oh okay….sorry," Doug apologized.

"It's fine, really," I shook my head. "Why don't we just talk about something else?"

"Um, sure. Did you hear about the new ideas about alternate universes?" Doug asked.

"Alternate universe?" I repeated, surprised at the strange topic. "Uh, no, not really. I don't really keep up with that field."

"I don't normally, but with the recent death and all, it just got me thinking. There's still a lot of things we don't understand about the world, you know? And when scientists do experiments, it just makes things even more confusing. So there's this theory floating around that our universe is just one of many universes. Do you follow?" Doug stopped to take a breath. I could tell he was really excited about this stuff. I nodded and he smiled more. "One of the theories is called the Many Worlds Interpretation. The basic idea is that anything that can happen will happen and already has happened, just in alternate universe. For instance-"

He motioned to my soup. "There's a dimension where you ordered mushroom soup instead of whatever that it. There's a dimension where you ordered a salad instead of a soup. For every possible thing you could have ordered, there's a dimension out there where you did."

"That's a fascinating idea!" I did my best to smile.

"Yes, but it can also be very disturbing, but that's not why I've been thinking about it a lot," Doug said, the smile slipping off his face. "The thing is, if the Many Worlds Interpretation is true, then there's a universe where Nikki didn't die last night."

I felt my smile freeze on my face and my hands tighten into fists. A universe where Nikki was alive? Was that possible?

"Could we….would there be any way to get to that universe?" I asked carefully.

"Not with our current technology. Even if we could, what would we do? Steal Nikki from that dimension?" Doug shook his head. "It's best not to think about it."

"I guess you're right," I sighed. I picked up my spoon to take a sip, but found that the soup was now cold. Doug laughed nervously.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be so depressing all the time," he apologized again. He stood up and pulled out his wallet. I did the same, but as soon as I got out my wallet, Doug held up his hand. "Hey, don't worry, I got it. It's my day to pay. And besides, it's the least I can do for bringing you down like a total jackass."

"Thank you, but you don't have to-" I began.

"I know, but...I want to," Doug said. He put down a couple of dollars and signalled the waitress. She walked over and wrote up the check, giving Doug back the change. He seemed happy, but I couldn't help but feel guilty for not paying. I would have to pay next time. Once Doug had put up the cents, he turned his attention back to me. "Well, I guess I've got to teach a class this afternoon. I'll see you around?"

"Sure, see you later!" I said.

And we went our separate ways.

I drove back in time to head over to the classroom 223 to set up for my World History class. As I set down my bag and looked over the empty classroom, I wondered if Max was even going to be here today. After all, his best friend just died. I had purposely avoided thinking about Max in relation to Nikki's death all day. I just couldn't bare the thought.  
But I couldn't avoid it forever, especially with the clock ticking down the beginning of the class.

The students shuffled in about seven minutes before the start of class. Billy and Edward showed up first again. I half expected Edward to start antagonizing me about Nikki's death, but he seemed kinda off today. Maybe Nikki's death had affected him just as much as everyone else.

Delilah and Nerris showed up next. I guessed they were making sure they got here on time in light of yesterday's close call. Delilah was talking to Nerris in the same way she was yesterday, but Nerris seemed to just blankly stare ahead and only responded to Delilah in short sentences. Neil, Dolph, and Preston walked in next. The three of them conversed quietly, laughing nervously every once and awhile. It was pretty clear that they were all disturbed by Nikki's death, but none of them wanted to bring it up.

Erin and Tabii came in and were too busy chatting to notice the tense atmosphere. They took their seats and the front and pulled out their phones, texting and chatting somehow at the same time. Sasha and Ered strolled in soon after. Their faces were emotionless and generally cool, so it was hard to tell what they were thinking. However, they seemed to be able to read each other pretty well as they made their way to the back of the room.

It was almost time to start class now. Just a few more minutes. There were only two seats empty. Nikki's and Max's seat. The two seats were right next to each other. I stared at the seats, and for a moment, I could have sworn I saw the two of them sitting there. Max had his arms crossed with his black headphone and blank stare, and Nikki was sitting next to him, leaning towards him, her desk threatening to fall over, with a big smile on her face as she talked loudly about some random topic. Despite Max's overall deadpan expression, I could see a bit of light in his eyes. It was like even with everything he's been through, and continues to go through, being able to be there with his friend make it all a little better.

But then, I blinked and the seats were empty. My throat began to hurt as I fought the urge to cry. No, not here. Not in front of all these students. I had to be strong for their sake. With that in mind, I forced a smile back onto my lips.

A universe where Nikki was alive…

I turned to check the clock, but my eye was caught by Max walking into the classroom. Just like yesterday, all chatter died down the instant that Max stepped into the room. Except today, it was for a slightly different reason.

It suddenly occurred to me that some people may suspect Max to be the one who killed Nikki. The thought alone made my stomach churn. A couple of kids looked downright afraid of Max now, though Max's expression hadn't changed at all from yesterday. In fact, he was wearing the same blue jacket and a similar grey shirt. The only thing that was different was his headphone, which had been swapped out for red ones.

"Hey, Max, I wasn't expecting to see you today," I greeting him, breaking the silence. He didn't respond, but after a moment he stopped and looked up at me.

"You...weren't?" he asked slowly. He seemed confused. Preston shook his head and stood up.

"Max, we're all very sorry about what happened. No one would have blamed you if you had decided to stay home today," Preston exclaimed, attempting to throw his arms around Max who quickly stepped out the way. He looked even more uncomfortable than he did before.

"Uh...I don't...follow," Max mumbled. I saw his shoulders tense and his head lower. The students gave each other glances and began to whisper.

"Max….don't you know?" Nerris asked. He gave her a blank look. Nerris looked back down, hiding her face behind her hair. "Nikki….she's…"

"Nikki is dead," Delilah said, loud and clear. Everyone stopped talking at once and looked at her and then at Max. Max's mouth dropped open a bit. I saw his shoulders tense even more before they dropped completely. Max shut his mouth, going back to that deadpan look.

"Oh," is all Max said before he made his way to his desk. The students watch him sit down and then they all looked back at me.

"Well then," I began, clearing my throat. "I suppose all of you know about your fellow classmate's passing. It was a tragic event, but….we can't let her death get in the way of your education. We must continue on, for Nikki's sake."

I started the lesson, not going as much into depth as I normally would. Not only was it only the second day of school, but all the students had a personal connection to a student that recently died. There was no way they were going to retain any of this information, but I still had to try.

The period passed uneventfully. No one spoke about Nikki again and I did my best to keep an upbeat attitude. It was relaxing to teach, in a way. It gave me something to focus on, so my mind didn't wander off to Nikki. I didn't have time to entertain such thoughts when I was talking about the nomads of ancient times.

Once bell rang, the kids all shuffled out of the room. I saw a couple of students say goodbye as they went opposite directions down the hall. Others just pulled out their phones and paid no attention to the others as they left. Max slipped out at some point, but I actually didn't see him leave. He must have a secret tactic.

I thought everyone had left, so I walked back behind my desk and began gathering up my notes. That's when I heard someone clear their throat. Surprised, I looked up and saw Delilah standing near the doorway.

"Sorry for bothering you after class," Delilah said, walking closer to me.

"Don't worry about it! I'm here to help. Did you have a question?" I asked with a bright smile.

"Not really. I just wanted to talk about something," she said cryptically.

"Oh, okay then," I said. "What did you want to talk about exactly?"

"Well, it seems that a lot of people here think that Max killed Nikki," Delilah began. I frowned at the revelation. So it was true. Delilah began to pace as she talked. "Which is just awful. Max doesn't deserve to be treated so poorly for something he had nothing to do with."

"I'm glad you trust Max. He's a good kid," I told her.

"Yeah, after all, Max isn't responsible for this at all," Delilah said. Then, she stopped and turned to look me in the eye. "Because you're responsible for it."

I'm...responsible?

It took me a moment to process what she said. Then another moment to try to figure out how to respond. How do you respond to someone accusing you of murder? Before I could say anything, her serious expression changed to a more smug look and then she burst out laughing.

"I'm just kidding!" she laughed. "Sorry, Nerris says my jokes come off as more threatening than funny."

"Heh, sorry I just wasn't expecting that," I laughed nervously.

"But in all seriousness, it's really stupid for the other kids to think Max did it. I mean, sure 'it's always the quiet ones' but Max really loved Nikki," Delilah said, spinning around to look out over to Max's and Nikki's seats.

"He did care a lot about her," I agreed. Delilah leaning her head back to look at me. She closed her eyes and let out a breath, then spun back around and walked up to me.

"I want to try to become Max's friend, but Nerris is really scared of him," Delilah admitted. "Nerris is kinda my only friend. I normally turn to her whenever I have problems, but, obviously, I can't talk to her about this. That made me kinda stuck because I didn't know what to do and didn't know anyone that I could ask for help. But then I thought, hey, doesn't Mr. David know Nerris and Max? So I thought I'd ask you!"

"Oh, I see," I nodded. "Ask me what?"

"How can I get Nerris and Max to be friends?" she put her hands on my desk and leaned closer to me. I took a step back instinctively, but kept smiling.

"Hm," I said. "There was a time when I could offer an answer to that question, but now…."

I sighed. "Max and Nerris have changed so much since they were my campers. I feel like I don't know a thing about them anymore."

"Really?" Delilah pushed herself up. "What was Nerris like back then?"

"Oh, I don't know if she'd want me to tell you if she hasn't already told you herself," I said.

"Aw, come on! I promise I'll study for all my test if you do!" Delilah begged.

"You should already study for all your test, it will help you get into college," I automatically said. Delilah rolled her eyes.

"Really, though, Ner-ner wouldn't mind. I've seen her baby pictures before!" Delilah insisted.

"Well, alright," I shrugged. "It's not that interesting, though. When Nerris went to camp with us, she was really into Dungeons and Dragons. She always wore elf ears and a wizard's hat."

Delilah giggled. "Elf ears? I'd like to see that!"

"She also wore glasses and braces back then," I told her. Delilah snorted.

"Stars, Nerris was such a nerd!" she laughed. "Ah, that's why I love her."

"She was a happy little camper," I said.

"What about Max?"

"Oh. Max wasn't that happy of a camper."

"That's not that hard to believe. I swear, I've never seen the dude smile even once!"

"Well, it wasn't that Max didn't smile much, he just seemed to be in a constant state of rage."

"Rage? From our little emotionless sociopath?"

"I wouldn't call him a sociopath. Just, jaded. Even back then. I tried to help him see how much fun camp was, but I never got through to him. I don't blame him, though. If anything, I regret not doing more to help him. Max has had a hard life."

"Haven't we all?"

"Not all of us. Some more than others. I guess Max just has some sour luck. But it's not my place to tell you. Maybe...just try talking to him? I'm sure one day he'll tell you himself."

"Alright, well I'll wait until that day. Thank you, Mr. David," Delilah grabbed her bag.

"Anytime, Delilah," I waved her out the door.

I had a hard time falling asleep that night. I just couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened over the past two days as I stared at the blank wall. I didn't dare turn around, for fear that I would see those three figures watching me in the distance.

I had done a good job of keeping myself occupying during the day, so my mind didn't turn to those figures, but here in the darkness with nothing but my thoughts, there was nothing I could do.

Those four words that Delilah had said kept popping back up in my head. Even if she meant it as a joke, that dead serious look she gave me gave me chills.

"You're responsible for it."

Was I responsible?

I mean, obviously I didn't kill Nikki. I didn't kill anyone. But, too many people had died around me for it to be coincidence. What if, somehow, it was all my fault. Like my present was a bad omen that caused children to die. It seemed selfish to think, but it would make sense.

When I was a kid, my best friend had died. His name was Jasper, and I still remember what he looked like, what his voice sounded like, what his room smelled like. I wasn't directly responsible for his death, but I still felt like it. It's why his ghost seemed to follow me, even when I had blocked the whole thing from my memory.

When I was a young adult, a camper that I was responsible for died. His name was Neil, and I can still see his unmoving body the first time I saw him again as he was pulled out of the river. Even though it was just an accident, I felt as guilty as I would have if I pushed him in myself. His ghost seemed to join Jasper in his quest to torment me until I join them.

And now, Nikki was dead. At least she was finally reunited with Neil.

So was I responsible? Was there something I could have done to prevent these deaths? Was their blood on my hands.

I didn't want to think about. I pulled the pillow over my head and began to count slowly to myself. I focused on the numbers, focused on my breathing, focused on anything but the ghosts that inching closer my bed, silently begging me to join them.

I must have fallen asleep eventually. When I opened my eyes again, light was beginning to pour into my room. I sat up sleepily and looked at the calendar in front of my bed. Huh? Did I forget to mark it yesterday?

The calender was on the September page, and the days 1 - 4 had big X's on them. 5 and 6, however, were still empty. Well, besides the big "FIRST DAY OF NEW JOB" written on the 5th.

I shook this off a simple mistake on my part and went about my day, trying not to think about Nikki. I got up, took a shower, got dressed, the usual. I made sure to actually fix a sandwich today. I doubted the guys were going out today, and I didn't want to be stuck without lunch again.

Once I was ready to head out the door, I took my phone off the charger. As the screen turned on, I saw that I had a missed call from Gwen. Oh right, she had tried to call me a couple of days ago. It must be important if she called twice. I would have to call her back.

I looked at the time, but stopped when I saw the date underneath the time. It was a smaller font than the time, so I had to hold it close to my face to see it. Hm, that's odd. I thought. It said…

Tuesday, September 5


	4. A Second Chance

Tuesday, September 5

I drove to the school, not sure what to make of the date. I thought it was a simple mistake at first, so I opened the calendar on my phone. But there it was, clearly written, "September 5th". I had even pulled out my laptop to check but the date was the same. Browsing the news sites further supported this, as there had been no mention of Nikki or any student dying recently. They had all been reports from before September 5th.

It must have been a dream, I reasoned as I stopped at a traffic light. That didn't seem right, though. The last two days felt so real. I've had dreams that felt real before, but nothing like this. But that was the only explanation. It may not feel right, but it's the only thing that made sense.

Actually, maybe the past two days being a dream made more sense that I first thought. After all, I had been feeling a lot of stress over this new job, given what happened at Camp Campbell. Was it really too crazy to think I would dream up a scenario where all the kids from camp were in my class and one of them died?

I guess it didn't really matter now. I tried to clear my head as I pulled into the school parking lot. Glancing at the clock, I saw I was pretty early. My class wouldn't start for a good twenty minutes or so.

I grabbed my bag, locked the car, and headed towards the teacher's lounge. Upon entering, I saw a familiar figure sitting nervously at the table.

"Good morning, Gail!" I greeted her with a smile. Gail looked up from her work, her face shifting from one of surprise to that of uncomfortableness for a moment before nervously smiling at me.

"Oh, good morning, Mr. Crann," she said in her usual quiet, tone. Hearing her call me by my last name made me realize that we had only really talked in my dream. I probably shouldn't assume that she would act exactly as she was in my dream.

"You can call me David if you like," I told her. She nodded nervously and gathered her papers.

"Okay, David. I should probably start setting up for class," she said, politely excusing herself from the room. "I'll see you after class."

"Ooh, threatening," another man said. I turned and saw Devin walk in. "Good luck teaching the most useless subject."

"English isn't much more helpful," Gail pouted before slipping out of the room.

"Hey, I'm not gonna deny it," Devin laughed. Once Gail was completely out of sight, he turned and noticed me. "Oh, sorry, you are…?"

"David Crann," I said, holding out my hand. I guess we hadn't technically met yet. Maybe it was my imagination, but he seemed to be acting exactly how he did in my dream. I don't even think I knew him before today. I must have seen his face and name in some directory somewhere. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, David," he said taking my hand and giving it one quick, but strong, shake. "The name's Devin Owens."

"Devin Owens," I repeated. Well, at least I got the name right. "I'm the new history teacher."

"Oh yeah! I thought I remembered them saying there was a new guy at work. Welcome to the Tucker High, I guess," he shrugged. I felt a chill go down my spine. I could have sworn he said the exact same thing in my dream. I forced myself to keep a smile on my face.

"Thank you so much! I'm sure I'll love it here!" I said. Devin laughed.

"Oh yeah, you'll fit right in," he said in a strange tone.

"Well, I better get to class. Don't want to be late on the first day!" I straightened my back and gave a short salute.

"I'm sure your students wouldn't mind," Devin said. "Well, good luck."

"You too!" I opened the door to the main hallway began to step out. I was about to take another step when I remembered what happened in my dream. I stepped out and ran straight into Max, landing us both on the ground. It was silly to think that something that happened in a dream would happen in real life too, but after seeing Gail and Devin again…

Gail acted exactly like she did in my dream. Sure, I had met her before today, but only briefly. We just introduced ourselves and then moved on. And I had never met Devin before today, but he still acted just like he did in my dream. Was it really a dream then? It had to be, right?

Just then, I felt something hit my leg and snapped out of my thoughts in time to see a blue blur fall to the ground. I gasped and kneeled down to help the person I had accidentally tripped.

"Oh, sorry, son, didn't mean to-" I instinctively reacted, but stopped when I saw who I had tripped.

It really was Max.

He looked up at me with such anger in his eyes, but when he registered my face, his eyes widened, darting back and forth between my features. This only lasted for a moment, as his open mouth was quickly squeezed shut into a tight frown, eyebrows lowered in a look I knew so well. He stood up abruptly and turned away from me.

"Don't call me son," he said quietly before sprinting down the hall.

That was exactly - word for word - what he said in my dream.

No, no amount of logic could explain this away as a coincidence. This was too real. The last two days weren't a dream. If it was, it would have to be some sort of vision of the future. Or maybe…

Maybe I was getting a second chance. A chance to relive the past two days, a chance to fix my mistakes, a chance to save Nikki. If I am getting this second chance…

I'm not gonna throw it away.

I went to the first class, American History, and watched the students pile in. Each face was identical to the faces in my dream, which I was now almost certain was not a dream after all. Still, I smiled and greeted each one like it was the first time I had ever seen them. Once everyone had arrived and was seated, I went through the motions of teaching that had become so familiar to me. After introducing myself and talking about a bit about the class, I gave them the same assignment I had given them the first time and sat back in my chair.

The clock ticked down the minutes until the end of class and the idea that this may not be a dream but a practical joke crossed my mind. That just seemed too far-fetched. The students didn't seem to recognize me at all, so this probably wasn't some sick joke. If it was all a big prank, it would have to be the prank of a lifetime. Eventually, the bell rang and I dismissed the class and collected all the papers.

The sun was high in the sky now, but I wasn't hungry. I stood in the bright classroom staring at the sheets of paper in my hands feeling disorientated. That couldn't have been a dream, that much I was certain of, but it couldn't have been a prank or my imagination. I didn't like this feeling of uncertainty that swam around in my stomach and tainted my vision. I wanted to just accept it, or at least forget about it, and move on, but I couldn't seem to force myself to return to normal.

The shadows on the floor stretched more and more until the lunch period was over. I made my way over to classroom 223, my head still feeling like TV static. Taking deep breaths, I set up for my next class. I was beginning to unpack my folders and papers when two students came in. I looked up and recognized them as Edward and Billy. The boys were talking to each other, not noticing me until they had put down their backpacks by two seats in the middle row. I smiled at them when they looked up.

"Billy, Edward, what a surprise!" I said cheerfully. Edward gave me a sly grin.

"Ah, so we meet again, David," he said.

"Actually, It's Mr. David now," I reminded him. "I'm the new history teacher."

I watched as Edward began to reply before Billy grabbed his arm and shook his head. I'd seen them do this before. We've had this same conversation before. I had experienced deja vu before, but nothing this extreme.

"I suppose so," Edward murmured and then sat down. Billy followed suit. Looking over at the door, as if on cue, three more kids at arrived: Dolph, Space Kid, and Preston. Like with Edward and Billy, the three were talking amongst each other and didn't seem to notice me at first. Space Kid was the first to look up, a confused look spreading across his face as he caught a glimpse of me before turning back to Dolph and Preston to whisper something to them. Preston, having none of Space Kid's reluctance, stepped forward with a spring in his step.

"David! Can it really be you?" Preston said in a sing-song voice. The same sing-song voice as before. I tried to relax, but my smile suddenly felt stiff and unnatural.

"Why it sure it! It's so good to see you kids again!" I said. Behind them, Ered and Erin walked in with an unmatched air of coolness.

"It's so great to see you too, Mr. David," Dolph said, looking over at Space Kid who nodded in agreement. They sat down in the front row. Ered and Erin walked past them to sit in the back.

The moment of silence was quickly ended as Sasha and Tabii walking into the classroom chatting loudly. They paid me no attention, but when they saw Erin, they stopped and folded their arms.

"Erin," Sasha said in a flat tone,

"Sasha, Tabii," Erin replied, barely looking up. Rolling her eyes, Sasha walked away from Erin and took the seat furthest away from her. Tabii stuck her nose up, following Sasha to take the seat next to her.  
I fidgeted with the folder in front of me as I glanced up at the clock. Any minute now Max would walk in through that door, and behind him, Nikki. Fortunately, the other students didn't seem to notice my palms sweating and legs beginning to shake. I shut my eyes and tried to take a deep breath. Don't be so nervous, I told myself. But everything here was making me nervous: the campers turned students, the sheet that listed a name I never wanted to say again but knew I had to in a few minutes, my phone displaying a date that I had already lived through. The idle chat that had created a nice hum suddenly stopped and I opened my eyes.

Max was here.

He stood in the doorway, looking annoyed as ever. I gripped the folder in my hands even tighter as I attempted to give him a friendly smile. He didn't even look up at me, choosing instead to ignore the eyes staring at him. Unlike last time, however, I wasn't so curious as to why. My smile quickly dropped as I craned my neck to look around him. I let a sigh of relief when I saw exactly what I was looking for.

A bright face, a bit scuffed up, but so alive that I could hardly believe that just yesterday I thought she was dead, Nikki was breathing and laughing. She wasn't dead at all. Nikki was alive. A genuine smile spread across my face. I felt a weight lift off my back that I didn't know was even there. Nikki was oblivious to my relief and the whispers, as she skipped alongside Max.

"But - plot twist! The murderer was him all along. But then - DOUBLE PLOT TWIST - the murderer was actually the ex-girlfriend. Now, you may be thinking: how can it be both of them? Well, you see-" Nikki was saying but stopped mid-sentence when she saw me. I straightened my back and beamed at the two of them. Max stopped walking as well and looked first back at Nikki but then followed her gaze to me. I saw his eyebrows lower a bit. Nikki, however, grinned at me. "David?"

"Hey, kiddos! Long time no see!" I laughed.

"No kidding! Holy crap! Can you believe it, Max?" Nikki elbowed Max, who seemed like he couldn't care less about the reunion. Nikki's smile faltered at his unresponsiveness, but then the grin was back in full force. "Wow, so - wait you're a teacher now?"

"Yup, I'm your new World History teacher!" I said. Nikki stuck out her tongue.

"Bleh, couldn't you have picked a more interesting subject?" Nikki said and then laughed. I laughed along too.

"I'm sure it's more interesting than you think," I defended, but in reality, I couldn't care less about what Nikki thought of school subjects at the moment. I was just so glad that she was alive. Max started to walk towards the desks.

"If you insist," Nikki said as she hesitantly followed Max to the back corner and the room. They both sat down and Nikki continued telling Max her story as Max looked off, his headphones covering his ears.

Almost all the students were here, all except for Delilah and Nerris. I remembered them coming in right before the bell rang. I set down the folder and pulled out the assignment I was going to give them at the end of class. My plans for class seemed a bit pointless now. I had planned to have them all tell fun facts about themselves as a fun way to introduce everyone and help us all get to know each other a little better. But now that I already knew all those facts, not to mention to fact that all of us already knew each other, what was the point in asking them again? Then again, I didn't have anything else planned to fill that time, and it would seem weird if I offhandedly mentioned one of their facts in the future. I decided it would be best to still ask them. It would at least help break the ice.

The bell rang, but I was in no hurry to start class. Instead, I patiently waited by the open door for the last two students. The chatter in the room began to die down and all the students took their seats. I heard the pattering of footsteps and glanced down the hall in time to see Nerris and Delilah slip into the classroom.

"Hey! Sorry we're late!" Delilah said with an awkward smile. The two girls giggled with adrenaline as they took two seats in the middle row. I shut the door behind them.

"I guess that's everyone. So, let's get started," I said, walking back to my desk. I cleared my throat, the words I had practiced so many times before coming to me as I stood in front of the class. "I'd like to start off by just saying 'hello'! My name is David Crann but you can call me Mr. David. I'll be your World History teacher this year. I know you all already took American History, but this class will be a little different. World History is a lot more complicated and a lot more interesting, so I hope you pay close attention. You might be surprised at how similar some of these stories are to something you'd pay to see at a theatre.

"But enough about history, it's the first day of school, who wants to talk about actual school? The first thing we need to do is take role, but I like to make it a little more interesting. Why don't we try to get to know each other a little bit more? When I call your name, I want you to tell the class a fun fact about yourself. It can be anything really. Just have fun, okay?"

The students nodded and I went through, calling out each one of the student's names and listening to their fun facts, all the same as last time:

Billy - has been to Disneyland twenty three times; Delilah - eats popcorn kernels; Dolph - loves the song 'when you wish upon a star'; Edward - needs twelve hours of sleep each night; Ered - has five piercings; Erin - has a black belt; Max - didn't kill his parents; Neil - was named after his great grandad, Neil Armstrong; Nerris - has all the editions of dungeons and dragons; Nikki - has broken all but seven of her bones; Preston - has starred in every play this school as put on for the past two years; Sasha - has never broken a bone; Tabii - has one eye.

I didn't stumble over Neil's name as badly this time around. But the room still fell silent when I read it. At the end, I did have to admit that we were all in the same camp together, much to Delilah's surprise, just like last time. After that awkward exchange, I handed out the assignment and watched them get to work. I couldn't help but stare at Max and Nikki. I kept blinking, waiting for her to disappear like she did when I first walked into class yesterday. I kept waiting to wake up from this dream, to realize that she truly was dead, that I didn't get a second chance after all. But, that never happened. The students finished the assignment and the bell rang. The students began to pack up their stuff before I could process what was happening. I saw Nikki sling her backpack over her shoulder and take Max's assignment. She ran up to the front of the room and set her and Max's papers on the pile as Max slowly put away his notebook. She gave me a grin before spinning around the face towards Max and motioning for him to hurry up. Panicking, I put my hand on her shoulder, taking her by surprise.

"Nikki, could you come by this afternoon with your parents so we can discuss some stuff," I stumbled over my words, trying to come up with an excuse. Everything that happened today went exactly as it did last time unless I did something different. If I didn't do anything, Nikki was going to die tonight just like she did the first time.

"Um, yeah, yes sir," Nikki said, sensing my uncertainty. I saw her bite her lip, pausing for a moment before she spoke again. "Why?"

"There's just some complications with your paperwork," I lied. I was never good at lying. "It's nothing to worry about. You're not in trouble."

"Okay," she said. I grabbed a folder, pulling out a sheet for parent-teacher conferences and writing down a couple things before giving it to Nikki. I didn't know the exact time of death, but I knew something happened to her at 8:30, so I wrote down to meet at 8:00. Nikki took the paper with a weary smile and Max finally trudged his way up to the front of the classroom. "I'll see you tonight then."

"See you then," I said. She gave a short wave before turning around and walking out the door with Max. I waved back with a warm smile, but my arm dropped when she was out of sight. Was this really the best idea? I wish I had given it more thought. I cleaned up the classroom a bit and put away the assignments.

Once I was finished, I turned on my phone and saw that I still had plenty of time before classes were over for the day. I debated whether I should head home or stay here. Even if I drove back home, I would just have to drive back here in a couple of hours. Still, I didn't know what I would do at the school for five hours. Alternatively, I could find Nikki's address and watch over her house to make sure nothing happened before the meeting. As much as I wanted to keep Nikki safe, sitting outside her house seemed a bit too stalker-like, and probably was illegal. Still, it didn't feel right to just leave her alone.

I considered calling the police and giving them an anonymous tip to watch her house. But would they believe me if I told them she was in danger? I had no evidence, and if I said I was from the future they would think I was crazy. Even if they did believe me, what would happen when she left to go to the parent-teacher conference? I didn't want to deal with the headache of an investigation or anything of the sort.

I've always been one to believe that you should always contact the police whenever you or someone you know is in danger. But, no matter how I turned it, getting the police involved in this seemed like a bad decision.

Grabbing my bag, I made my way to the teacher's lounge. I'd figure out what to do later. Now that the class was over and I knew Nikki was alive, I was beginning to feel hungry, and the sandwich I had prepared this morning was starting to look more and more appealing. When I reached the lounge, I saw a few people were already in there. I recognized Gail and Emerald and remembered that I had come to the teacher's lounge the last time I went through today as well.

Gail looked over when I came in and smiled, "Good afternoon, David.".

"Good afternoon," I responded. Noticing me, Emerald stood up and took a step forward.

"Hey, I'm Emerald Wallace," she introduced herself, holding out her hand. "You're the new history teacher, right?"

"Yeah, David Crann, it's nice to meet you, Emerald." I shook her hand, feeling that eerie sense of deja vu all over again.

"Nice to meet you too," Emerald said. "I teach the AP history courses, so we're kind of in the same boat."

"Is that so?" I said.

"So how was your first day?" Gail asked, tugging at the ends of her hair nervously.

"It was fine. How about you two?" I asked. Gail shrugged.

"It was good," she nodded.

"It could have gone better for me," Emerald sighed. "AP courses used to mean you'd get the kids that actually want to learn. Now it's just the kids that have parents that think they're smart."

"Well, hopefully, they'll learn something. I don't think any of my students are going to put in the effort to actually understand what I'm trying to teach," Gail complained in a longing tone.

"Hey, as long as they're in class, they've got to learn something, right?" I said.

"You would think," Emerald laughed.

"So, David, what do you think of the proposal to build a new gym?" Gail asked me. I was caught off guard by the question, but apparently, that was what the two of them were discussing before I walked in. We discussed the proposal idly for a few minutes - I tried to remain neutral on the issue, Gail was strongly against it, and Emerald argued for it, though I suspected that she was only taking that side to play the devil's advocate - before Gail dismissed herself and Emerald went back to grading papers.

I sat down and ate my sandwich as I looked over the assignment I had given out in class. The papers from the first class were the same as the first time I read them. When I pulled out the assignment from my World History class, I realized that I had never read them over the first time around. At the top, in clean font were the words "My favorite history story". There were lines to write the student's name and date above that and a brief explanation of the assignment below that. The rest of the page just had lines for the students to fill up.

I read over each one of the papers carefully. Edward seemed eerily knowledgeable about various wars throughout history, while Billy wrote some vague details about the founding of America. Ered and Erin both wrote only one sentence, Ered's about some famous skateboarder and Erin's about the Incas. Dolph wrote about his favorite artists throughout history and Space Kid, of course, wrote about the first man on the moon. Preston wrote a flowery piece on Shakespeare that was more of a poem than a brief essay. Sasha and Tabii's were exactly the same, though I suspect Sasha was the one who wrote it, talking about Queen Victoria. Nikki's was an interesting read, starting with her admitting that she doesn't really know any history, and then going into her reimagining how the world was created. Max's was short and simple, quickly going over the history of Japan with incredible accuracy. Almost everything he wrote was correct, except one part where he said that the invaders died in a tornado. I was pretty sure they actually died in a typhoon. Nerris wrote about Alexander Hamilton getting almost everything wrong save the dates, and Delilah wrote a long and detailed essay on the history of the aglet - which apparently is the thing at the end of shoelaces that keep the threads from unraveling.

I went through all the papers and drawing a star with a nice comment on each one. Then, I began to think about the parent-teacher conference with Nikki and realized that I didn't actually have a valid reason to call her in. All I told Nikki was that there were some complications with paperwork, but I didn't actually have any of her paperwork. I found a school computer and logged into the school system. It took me a bit to find Nikki's records. I scanned through them, looking for any sort of discrepancy I could use. The only thing I could find was a grade from the past years. Apparently, she only made a C in American History. This certainty shed some light on the assignment she turned in today. Still, a C was a passing grade. It wasn't really a reason to have a parent-teacher conference, but it was the best I could come up with. Hopefully, her parents wouldn't be annoyed. It would be really bad if they complained to the school. The last thing I wanted was to get fired. Then again, if it was a choice between being fired and Nikki dying, I'd gladly take the former.

I left the school to eat supper then came back and went to classroom 223. I had already printed out Nikki's transcript, which I carefully carried in a folder. The sun had set hours ago, and the bright fluorescent lights gave the room an unsettling artificial vibe. I rearranged the seats a bit so it would be more comfortable when Nikki and her parents showed up. I knew I had met Nikki's parents before, hypothetically. I was sure they were at parent's day, at least, because I know I would have remembered if she was alone like Max. It was all so long ago, I only remembered the big events. I couldn't picture what her parents looked like at all.

My phone buzzed when it was 8:00. I sat down in one of the chairs, trying not to clench the folder in my hands. I took a deep breath and smoothed out my shirt. I needed to look professional in order to pull this off. As the minutes ticked by, my head began to beat faster. 8:01...8:02…

Is Nikki running a bit late? Or did something happen to her? Was I too late? I felt my palms start to sweat.

8:03...8:04…

It will be fine. It's only been a few minutes. I'm sure she's fine. I tried to reassure myself.

I didn't have to wait long. After a few agonizing minutes, Nikki poked her head into the room. I let out a breath and smiled at her.

"Hey, Dav- er Mr. David," She greeted me, walking into the room. "Sorry I'm a bit late."

"It's fine. You're right on time," I told her. I looked at the doorway, expecting her parents to walk in at any moment. Nikki sat across from me then followed my gaze to the doorway.

"Oh yeah, about that. My mom's...um...she was busy tonight," Nikki pulled at the end of her sleeve, not making eye contact.

"That's fine, I guess," I shakily said. It wasn't really fine. I kind of needed a guardian present for this sort of meeting. At least an adult. It really wasn't good for an adult to be alone with a minor at this hour. It was most certainly against the school policy. Then again, if her mother blew off a parent-teacher conference, and there was no mention of her father, then maybe I could get away with bringing her here with no real excuse. "This is really my fault; I should have let her know before the semester started."

Nikki mumbled something under her breath. I couldn't tell if she was saying something softly or just talking to herself.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," I said. Nikki looked up, a smile on her face. It felt out of place.

"It's nothing. Man, this is weird," Nikki blurted out. I was taken back and laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry?" I said.

"Ooh, that came out wrong," Nikki grimaced. "It's just that I'm getting Camp Campbell flashbacks looking at you."

"I feel the same way," I smiled.

"I mean, what are the chances that we'd all end up in the same class together after all these years with you as our teacher!" Nikki threw her hands up in an over-exaggerated shrug.

"I was actually just thinking the same thing," I laughed.

"It's like those identical twins that get separated at birth and end up living the exact same life. You're thinking, what are the odds! apparently a lot higher than you thought."

"I'm just glad I get to see you all again. You're so much older now."

"But totally not more mature."

"I think you were all very mature to begin with," I said. Nikki nodded and looked off to the side. I followed her gaze and found myself looking at the seat where she and Max had sat earlier that day. Max, he looked so lost this morning. Not nearly as lost as he did when he first found out that Nikki was dead, but still. I felt a weight in my stomach. I choose my words carefully. "How is Max?"

"Max? He's…" Nikki turned back to me quickly before looking down at her feet. She was clearly caught off guard by my question. "He's fine I guess."

I nodded, thinking back to how he acted in class. He didn't really seem fine. "I'm glad you two are still friends."

"Yeah…" Nikki trailed off, still staring at her feet. After a moment of silence, she glanced at me quickly. "He's a good guy, you know. Like, I know he probably seems really cold but…"

She trailed off again, fighting to find the right words without getting too emotional. He did seem jaded in class. But he had every reason to. Those wide-eyed stares, the dehumanizing whispers, the way the student here treated him was just awful. Not to mention, what had already happened to him. Nikki let out a frustrated sigh.

"It's okay, Nikki, I get it," I said warmly. She looked back at me with big eyes. Well, maybe I didn't fully understand, but I knew Max. I knew Nikki. I knew they'd be okay as long as they had each other. Max was lucky to have someone like Nikki standing by him. I caught my breath, realizing that I had those exact thoughts right before I found out Nikki was dead. My breath quickened, but I fought to remain calm. No, no, Nikki was fine. She was right here. She was still alive.

Just then, someone else entered the room. I looked up to see Devin run in with an exhausted expression. What was he doing here? I wondering.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. I just got your text, Nikki," Devin said.

"You didn't have to come," Nikki said in an apologetic tone.

"No, no, it's fine. I was in the area," Devin waved his hand and took a seat. "Hey, David."

"Good evening, Devin. Sorry, I didn't realize you were coming," I said.

"Well, Nikki said you asked to see her and her mom but Candy passed out before Nikki could drag her here. So, I thought I'd just come to help smooth things over." Devin explained.

"Oh, so are you Nikki's…" I trailed off, unsure how to word the question without it sounding awkward. They seemed to understand as their eyes widened.

"No," they answered in unison. They looked at each other and began to laugh.

"Okay, excuse me," I laughed too. Maybe they weren't related, but I was glad to have an adult here that knew Nikki. It made the meeting seem more like a real meeting that was just off the records.

"So what exactly is the issue?" Devin asked.

"It's really nothing. I was just looking through the student's files and I noticed that you only got a C in American History," I said.

"But she still passed," Devin leaned back in his chair.

"Yes, but I was just worried that you might be a bit behind the other students," I said.

"Is that about the story I wrote this morning? Sorry, I wasn't trying to-" Nikki asked.

"No, no, no, that was lovely. I really enjoyed it," I interrupted, trying to reassure her.

"Don't worry about her being behind. I gave her some history lessons of my own that summer," Devin grinned.

"Yup, I'm well versed in American History trivia!" Nikki put her hands on her hips. I doubted the authenticity of that statement, given what she had written this morning. Then again, this was all just an excuse to keep her out of harm's way, so I supposed it didn't really matter.

"I'm glad to hear. Well, there's no real problem since you did pass, so I suppose I don't need your guardian to sign anything," I said.

"Thank goodness," Devin sighed. He cracked some joke about Candy never actually signing anything she's supposed to. I smiled again and looked at the clock above the door. It was almost 8:30. Devin was poking fun at Nikki who stuck her tongue out at him. They seemed so comfortable with each other. Devin had a big grin on his face and his eyes sparkled. I couldn't help but feel nice watching them interact.

Suddenly, I remembered his hollow eyes and empty smile, the face I saw the day after Nikki died. I felt my stomach twist. But that wasn't this Devin. This Devin was full of joy, just like Nikki. It was clear that the two had a strong bond. No wonder he was so distraught when she died.

I didn't want to see him like that again. It made me feel sick. I looked at the clock again. 8:30. I looked back over at Nikki and Devin. They were so alive. Did I do it? Did I keep Nikki out of harm's way? Only time would tell.

I told them that they were free to go and Devin thanked me before heading out of the room with Nikki. I heard their conversation echo down the hall. Nikki thanked him for coming and Devin insisted he drive her home. Nikki argued a bit but finally agreed, making a joke about her bike not fitting his car. Then, they were gone.

Nikki was safe now. I had faith in Devin to protect her. I put the folder away, straightened the desks, and slung my bag over my shoulder. Then, I headed home.

When I got to my house, I felt tired, but I couldn't sleep. I paced back and forth, ignoring the shadowy figures in the back of the room. There were only two today, which made me feel a bit better, but I couldn't help but wonder if a third would join them soon.

My phone sat on my couch. I was too scared to hold it. If everything went like it did the first time, I would receive a text at 10:00 telling me that Nikki was dead. I made sure Nikki was safe at 8:30, which was presumably when she was kidnapped and killed. But what if I only delayed the killer? What if they still attacked when Nikki got home?

Maybe I should text Devin, I thought. But what would I say? Hey, I think Nikki's going to die tonight and I know you really won't like that so would you keep an eye on her for me? There was nothing I could say that wouldn't make me look like a madman or a stalker.

So I waited, and waited, and waited. I tensed up when the clock hit 10:00. I held my breath, staring at the phone. But the dark screen stayed dark. There was no text. I let out a breath. I did it. I actually changed the past.

I sat down and turned on my phone, double checking my text messages. No, nothing. I looked through local news websites. There was nothing about a girl dying. Nikki was safe. I let out a breath.

"Nikki is alive."


	5. A Bad Feeling

Wednesday, September 6 - A Bad Feeling

Disoriented, I realized that I had fallen asleep on the couch last night. When I fully regained consciousness, the details of the previous night came back to me. The awkward parent-teacher conference, 10:00 passing with no text messages...did I succeed? My phone had fallen on the floor at some point during the night. Anxious, I stared at it. For a moment, I was too scared to even turn on the phone. In this moment, Nikki was like schrodinger's cat, both dead and alive - at least, in my head. There was no way to know for certain either way unless I looked.

I picked up the phone.

I let out a long sigh when I turned it on. No new messages. That could only mean one thing: Nikki was alive. I fought off my doubting thoughts that tried to say otherwise. No, this was proof. I had succeeded. I saved her.

Beaming, I got dressed and ready for the school day. It was still a bit early, so I cooked breakfast: a simple omelet. As I sat down to eat, my mind began to go over the past few days. Now that Nikki was safe and alive again, I was able to think about what happened with a clearer head. What even happened? In all honesty, I didn't like thinking about it. It didn't seem to make sense.

Someone killed Nikki. Someone actually murderer her. I was able to get in the way of their plans last night, but how did I know they wouldn't try it again? And who even were they? It had been more than two days and I still didn't have an answer to that question. Who would want to kill Nikki?

There had to be something I was missing, but I suppose that wasn't so surprising. After all, I didn't know every detail of Nikki's life back in camp, much less now, six years later. Still, I couldn't imagine Nikki doing anything that would warrant someone wanting her dead. But someone did want her dead. I just didn't know who.

After Nikki died the first time, everyone seemed to think Max was the killer, but that didn't make any sense. Nikki really cared about Max. And when Max found out Nikki was dead, he looked so distraught - like his world had just crumbled around him and he wasn't even sure where to begin picking up the pieces. That was not someone who killed his best friend; that was someone whose best friend had been killed. I was sure of it.

It was upsetting to think that I was the only one who knew how close Nikki had come to dying. She could still be close to dying with her killer still on the loose. Was it even right to call this person a killer? They didn't kill Nikki, so technically, whoever they were, they were still innocent. Unless, they've killed before. Was that possible? Could it not have been someone targeting Nikki but actually some sort of serial killer?

I wasn't getting anywhere thinking like that. It was almost time for school to start now, so I grabbed something for lunch and packed up the rest of my things.

I arrived at school a little bit late. The students seemed a little disappointed to see me, but that was to be expected. Besides that, the period went smoothly. I went through the pre-prepared lesson, doing my best to keep my student's attention. It wasn't long before the bell rang and all the students hurried out of the room.

Standing in the now-empty classroom, the anxiety I had felt this morning came crawling back.

Nikki could still be in danger. Should I keep an eye on her again tonight? Of course, that would probably be pretty difficult. I couldn't just ask her to come to another parent-teacher conference, and I certainly couldn't go to her house and wait to see if anyone showed up. If there was some other way of being able to keep an eye on Nikki, I couldn't think of it.

I walked out of the classroom, and turned the corner where I saw Devin walking down the hall with Lucas and Doug. Oh yeah, they were going out to eat today. Devin was laughing and had this air of confidence to him, very different from how he was the first time. I guess there was no reason for him to be drunk in the middle of the class day since Nikki wasn't dead. Devin looked over at me and smiled.

"David! How's it hanging?" Devin greeted me. I stopped and smiled back at him.

"Great! It's good to see you again, Devin," I said. Doug looked up at Devin cautiously.

"Good to see you too! Oh, these are my buds, Lucas and Doug," Devin nodded to each of them. "This is the new history teacher I was telling you about."

"David Crann, it's nice to meet you," I said, holding out my hand. Lucas was the first to take it.

"Lucas Wissenschaft, it's nice to meet you too," Lucas shook my hand. Doug nodded.

"We were actually just about to head out to lunch," Devin told me. His grin widened. "Hey, why don't you join us?"

"Oh, that sounds like fun, but-" I grabbed my bag. "-I already have my lunch. Maybe another time?"

"Aw, alright. But, hey, there's this little place called McCanner's that's a few minutes down the road. We always eat there on Tuesdays. You're welcome to join us any week," Devin said.

"I'll keep that in mind," I nodded and began to walk again.

"It was nice meeting you," Lucas waved as they walked past me.

"You too!" I called back. "Take care!"

"Will do," Devin said.

It was nice to see Devin looking so much better. The Devin I saw the first time this happened was like a shadow mirror of this Devin. I guess he and Nikki were really close. No wonder he showed up to the parent teacher conference when Nikki's mom couldn't make it.

Then it hit me. Of course! Devin could take care of Nikki! He was close with her family already. I'm sure he'd be fine with keeping an eye on her. But now the three of them were out of sight, so unless I wanted to chase Devin down, I couldn't ask him right now.

I had to ask him. It was the perfect solution. But...what would I even say to him? I kept walking to the teacher's lounge. Hey, Nikki died and then I went back in time and managed to stop it but I think she's still in danger so would you keep an eye on her for me? It sounded crazy. It was crazy!

I let out a frustrated sigh. This was unexplored territory as far as I knew. I had no idea what to do. I just didn't want Nikki to die again.

It didn't take long to get to the teacher's lounge. There were quite a few teachers already in there. A couple I recognized, but I didn't know their names. I smiled at the few people that looked over when I walked in and made my way to one of the smaller tables. I pulled out my lunch - a sad little sandwich. It was better than nothing, but I was beginning to wish I had taken Devin up on his offer.

I sat there for a little while, thinking it all over. I was about halfway through my sandwich when someone walked up to the table.

"Hey, it's David, right?" a familiar voice asked. I looked up and saw Emerald Wallace.

"Emerald, nice to see you again!" I greeted her.

"Looking a little tense there," she noted. "Second day not going so well?"

"Actually, it's been rather pleasant," I said. Well, if you called one my students not dying pleasant.

"That's always good to hear," Emerald said, but her voice felt rather hollow. She nodded to empty seat across from me. "You mind if I sit?"

"Please do," I told her with the friendliest smile I could muster. She slumped down into the chair. I watched as she reached into her bag and pulled out a lunchables. I couldn't help but look a bit surprised. Emerald chuckled a bit when she saw my expression.

"Hey, it's cheap and it beats cafeteria food," Emerald said.

"That's fair," I laughed.

"So, how are you enjoying Tucker High?" Emerald asked, pulling off the plastic top of her lunchables.

It was a simple question, but I realized that I didn't really have an answer. Between the surprise of having old campers as students and the horror of Nikki's death, I hadn't really been able to just enjoy my time at the school.

"It's been eventful," I said.

"Is that a bad thing?" Emerald asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I guess it depends on how you look at it. At least it's not boring." I gave a short laugh. "And all my students are great, which is such a relief."

"Just wait until you start assigning real homework," Emerald said. "Then they're not so great."

"Is your homework really that hard?" I asked.

"It's AP History. Their parents shouldn't have signed them up if they can't take the workload," Emerald said.

"I suppose so," I nodded, taking a quick bite of my sandwich.

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Emerald said.

I wondered if Emerald knew anything about Nikki. Hopefully nothing had happened to her last night, but I supposed I would have heard something if something did. But it wouldn't hurt to ask Emerald if she knew anything. She probably didn't have Nikki in any of her classes, being that she taught AP History and Nikki was in my history class. At the very least, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Hey, do you know a student named Nikki?" I asked. Emerald raised an eyebrow.

"I know about three Nicky's, you're gonna have to be more specific," she said.

"Right," I said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Nikki, she has blueish-green hair, pink eyes, kind of loud?"

"I think I know the one. I've never had her in a class, but I've seen her around. What about her?" Emerald said.

"Just wondering if you'd heard anything about her recently," I said. Emerald shook her head.

"Nope, why do you ask?" she asked.

"She's one of my students," I admitted. "She didn't do anything, I was just wondering."

Emerald nodded. "You care a lot about your students?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"That's fine," Emerald began. "But you shouldn't push yourself too hard."

"What do you mean?" I asked quickly. Emerald shrugged.

"It's probably none of my business, but…" she trailed off. "I know a new job can be stressful, but you seem especially tired."

I looked tired? It wasn't like I hadn't been sleeping, though my sleep was as restless as ever. Still, I didn't real particularly tired.

"I guess I've just had a lot of my mind," I said. Emerald nodded.

"Yeah, I get that," she sympathised. I looked down at my sandwich, suddenly not interested in eating anymore.

"Would you be willing to give me some advice?" I asked tentatively.

"About what?" Emerald asked, not missing a beat.

"Well, I really need someone to do something, but I'm having trouble coming up with a way to convince them," I explained.

"Why not just tell them why you need them to do it?" Emerald asked. My shoulders stooped a bit. Emerald sighed. "But I guess it's never that simple?"

"If only," I said. Emerald leaned back in her chair.

"Hm, if you can't tell them the real reason, why not tell them a fake reason?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, when people say 'come over to my house and we'll hang out' but they really want you to come over because they're throwing you a surprise party."

"Oh, so...lie?"

"If you wanna be harsh, but yeah. Just tell them a little white lie."

I shuffled in my seat. Emerald let out a short laugh.

"Do you have a problem with that?" she asked.

"I just try to be honest as much as possible," I admitted. She raised her eyebrows.

"Oh? I didn't peg you as the noble type," Emerald said. I laughed awkwardly.

"I'm far from noble," I said under my breath. I don't think Emerald heard me.

"Well, if you can't give them the real reason, and you don't want to give them a fake reason, then just don't give them any reason," Emerald said confidently. I blinked.

"Would that work?" I asked, leaning forward.

"Maybe," Emerald threw up her hands. "I mean, it really depends on the person. And the request."

"This person...we're really just acquaintances, but it is a small request," I said.

"And yet there's so much secrecy," Emerald smirked. I looked up at her wearily. "Hey, I'm not one to judge. If you say it's important to not tell them then I believe you."

I smiled at her. Then, I glanced at the clock on the wall behind her. It was almost time for classes to start again.

"Well, thanks you for your help," I thanked her, picking up my bag and slinging it around my shoulder. "I'm grateful for being able to talk about this to someone."

"I'm all ears, my friend," Emerald said. "Besides, this is the most interesting thing I've talked to another teacher about since the great food fight of '09."

"Sounds fascinating. You'll have to tell me about it sometime," I said.

"Not much to tell," Emerald shook her head. I cleaned up the rest of my lunch. "Good luck with your next class."

"You too!" I said, before walking out the door.

I got to the classroom in plenty of time to set up for World History. This was the moment of truth. Nikki had to be alive. She'd be walking through that door any minute now.

The students shuffled in about seven minutes before the start of class. Billy and Edward showed up first again, idly chatting about something too quietly for me to hear. I gave them a friendly smile, but neither of them seemed to notice. Just like last time, Delilah and Nerris showed up next. Nerris seemed really excited about something, but it didn't seem like Delilah was paying attention. She stared straight ahead, yet clearly wasn't actually paying attention to her surroundings. It wasn't a sad, blank stare, more of a face of contemplation.

One by one, the students arrived, Space kid, Dolph, Preston, Sasha, Tabbi, Erin, Ered. Just two empty seats now. I did my best to remain composed, making sure my shoulders were relaxed and my smile was natural. However, which each passing moment, I began to worry more and more. It was unreasonable, but I couldn't help but be nervous.

I kept looking at the clock above the doorway. Class would be starting soon. Were those two ever gonna show up?

And then it finally happened. Nikki and Max strode into class like it was a completely ordinary day. I let out a breath. It was a completely ordinary day.

Just like yesterday, Nikki was telling Max some story. As usual, Max had his headphones on, probably not hearing a single word she said. But that didn't seem to stop Nikki.

I tried not to stare as Max and Nikki took their seats. Instead, I turned my attention to the other students. Some were pulling out books, but most of them were just chatting. I watch Nerris dutifully take out her World History book and turn to the first chapter. Next to her, Delilah was looking back. At first, I thought she was looking out the window, but then I followed her line of sight. She was looking at Max.

That's right, last time around she told me she wanted to be Max's friend. But wasn't that just because she felt bad for him? After all, at that time Max had lost his only friend. I couldn't see Delilah's expression, but she was definitely looking at Max.

"How can I get Nerris and Max to be friends?" That's what she had asked me. Was that still what she wanted?

It would be nice for Max to have more friends. Poor Nikki was trying her best, but he really seemed to have cut himself off from the rest of the world. Maybe Delilah and Nerris could try to bring him out of his shell?

I smiled. Perhaps I was getting ahead of myself. But still, now that Nikki was safe, it seemed like I could finally relax. Things were really looking up now. All uphill from here, right?

The bell rang. I shut the door. Time to start class.

It was a rather uneventful period. As usual, some of the students actually listened, but most of them didn't seem to be paying attention. I was able to actually talk about history today, which was exciting when I didn't have the death of a student looming over me. Eventually, the bell rang, signifying the end of class. the kids all shuffled out of the room. I saw a couple of students say goodbye as they went opposite directions down the hall. Others just pulled out their phones and paid no attention to the others as they left. Nikki started talking to Max again as they packed up their stuff and made their way out the door. Was it just me, or was Max actually making eye contact with her this time?

I paid close attention to Delilah, hoping she'd stay after class for my advice on befriending Max like last time. She and Nerris were standing next to the door when, sure enough, Delilah said something quickly to her friend. Nerris looked a bit confused, but nodded and left the room. The last students shuffled out of the room, leaving just me and Delilah. I pretended not to notice her at first, before turning around and giving her a big smile.

"Delilah! Can I help you with something?" I asked.

"Sorry for bothering you after class," Delilah said, walking closer to me.

"Don't worry about it! I'm here to help. Did you have a question?" I asked with a bright smile.

"Well, kinda. I just wanted to talk about something," she said cryptically.

"Oh, okay then," I said. "What did you want to talk about exactly?"

Delilah shuffled her feet a bit. "You know Max right?" she finally said. "Kinda short kid with fluffy black hair, always wearing headphones?"

"Of course! Max was one of the kids who used to go to my camp."

"I thought so," Delilah looked up at the ceiling. "It's just, I don't really ever see him talking to people. The only person I ever see him even acknowledge is Nikki."

"I noticed that too," I nodded. Delilah looked back at me and sighed.

"I guess I can't help but to worry," Delilah said. She shook her head and laughed. "You know, Nerris is always criticizing me for having an affinity for the odd - like she's one to talk - but there's just something about Max that makes me curious."

"Are you referring to Max's, er, past?" I asked. Delilah seemed to perk up at that.

"You know about what happened to him?" she took another step towards me. I nearly took a step back reflexively.

"I...know the basics," I said.

"Would you mind telling me?" she asked. "I know it's none of my business, but I know that Nerris is scared of him for some reason, but she won't admit it and she refuses to tell me why."

Delilah looked so determined, it was hard to say no. But still, was it really my place to disclose such personal information. Eventually, her face fell.

"Sorry, I just…" she trailed off. "I just kind of wanted to be Max's friend. Nerris is kinda my only friend. I normally turn to her whenever I have problems, but, obviously, I can't talk to her about this. That made me kinda stuck because I didn't know what to do and didn't know anyone that I could ask for help. So...I thought I'd ask you."

"And what exactly did you want to ask me?" I asked.

"How can I get Nerris and Max to be friends?" she asked, taking another step closer. She was right in front of me now.

"Hm," I said, doing my best to pretend this was the first time I'd heard this question. "The problem is, I used to know Max and Nerris very well when they were my campers. But I don't really know much about them now that they're so much older."

"Really?" Delilah put her hands on my desk. "What was Nerris like back then? When she was in your camp?"

"I don't really know if she'd want me to tell you if she hasn't already told you herself," I laughed.

"Aw, come on! I promise I'll study for all my test if you do!" Delilah begged.

"You should already study for all your test-" I caught myself saying. Delilah rolled her eyes.

"Really, though, Ner-ner wouldn't mind. I've seen her baby pictures before!" Delilah insisted.

"Well, if you insist," I shrugged. "When Nerris went to camp with us, she was really into Dungeons and Dragons. She always wore elf ears and a wizard's hat."

Delilah giggled. "Elf ears? I'd like to see that!"

"She also wore glasses and braces back then," I told her. Delilah snorted.

"Stars, Nerris was such a nerd!" she laughed. "Ah, that's why I love her."

"She was a happy little camper," I said.

"What about Max?"

"Oh. Max wasn't that happy of a camper."

"That's not that hard to believe. I swear, I've never seen the dude smile even once!"

"Well, it wasn't that Max didn't smile much, he just seemed to be in a constant state of rage."

"Rage? From our little emotionless sociopath?"

"I wouldn't call him a sociopath. Just, jaded. Even back then. Max...he had hard life."

"Haven't we all?"

"Well, some more than others. I guess Max just has some sour luck. But it's not my place to tell you. Maybe...just try talking to him? I'm sure one day he'll tell you himself."

"I guess I'll have to wait until that day. Thank you, Mr. David," Delilah grabbed her bag.

"Anytime, Delilah," I waved her out the door.

I packed up quickly after Delilah left and hurried to the teacher's lounge hoping to catch Devin before the school day ended. But, as I saw when I arrived, Devin wasn't at the teacher's lounge. However, I did find a talkative teacher that knew Devin. According to him, Devin was teaching his last class, which ended at 2:00, and he usually came back to the teacher's lounge after that.

That meant I just had to wait.

While waiting, I had time to think about what I was going to say to Devin. Should I take Emerald's advice and hope that he'll listen to me without any explanation? It sounded pretty harmless to ask someone to watch over a student. But Devin didn't seem like the person to not ask questions. After all, he was a teacher.

I didn't want to lie, thought. Even if I could lie, what would be a good enough explanation? Anything I could think of just caused more problems than it would solve. That was the problem with lying: the truth was always the easier to deal with. Well, assuming the truth wasn't time travel.

Then again, maybe honesty was the best option. I mean, sure it sounded a little crazy, but it was the truth. Devin was an English teacher, so many he'd understand something a little on the fairy-tale side. Still, I didn't know Devin well enough to be able to be certain.

After weighing my options for a while, I eventually joined the conversation of a group of teachers to pass the time. It didn't take long for the period to end and the clock struck two.

Some of the teachers left, either to teach their next class or to head home for the day. I waved them goodbye and waited for Devin to show up. There weren't many teachers left in the room now.

After waiting for a bit, the door to the lounge opened and Devin walked in. I tried to act like I hadn't been waiting for the past hour and calmed turned and waved at him. He saw me and grinned.

"Hey, David! How was your second day on the job?" he asked, walking up to me.

"It was fantastic!" I said, letting my excitedness show.

"Man you like teaching THAT much?" Devin laughed.

"Of course! That's why I became a teacher."

"I just did it because the hours are short and you get summer off. I mean, best job ever, right?"

"Yup, nothing can beat that," I smiled. Should I bring up Nikki now? It was probably best to wait.

"Oh, by the way," Devin started. "About last night…"

"Last night?" I asked absentmindedly. "Oh yeah, the parent-teacher conference?"

"I know it was a bit informal for me to come instead of Nikki's mother..." Devin started.

"Oh, it's really not an issue. The whole thing was a little bit informal."

"Well, this school can be a little particular about these things. I was just wondering if maybe you could...not mention that technically her guardian wasn't there."

"Of course," I said quickly. Maybe the parent teacher conference wasn't the best idea after all… "If you want I can keep the entire thing off the records."

"You would do that?"

"Well, I didn't really need to hold it in the first place. I was just a little worried about Nikki, but she has all the qualifications to take my class."

"That's a huge relief," Devin let out a sigh.

"But I do have to thank you," I said. "It's great that Nikki has someone to watch over her."

"Aw, you're giving me too much credit," Devin waved his hand. "Candy's just an old friend of mine. I try to help her out when I can."

"Still, that's really nice of you," I said.

"Well, you know Nikki," Devin grinned. "Always getting herself into trouble."

I smiled back at him, but then my smile dropped a bit. Trouble. That's right, Nikki was in trouble. Devin tilted his head.

"Something the matter?" Devin asked. Now the time to tell him. I should just ask him to keep an eye on her. If he asks why, I'll just try to explain as little as possible. But if Devin cares that much about Nikki, then maybe he'll listen.

"Well, I guess you could say I have a really bad feeling-" I began.

Just then, the door flew open. A disheveled teacher stepped into the room with a panicked look on his face. The remaining teachers in the room stopped talking and turned to him. Devin and I did the same.

"We need help!" the teacher said, gasping for air. "A student just died."

We all stared at him in disbelief. The teacher ran off, calling for us to follow him. A few teachers shook themselves into action and ran after him.

Devin looked back at me. "A bad feeling, you say?"


End file.
